Tides of Darkness
by Spirit of Cosmos
Summary: Updated 3/30/03! Mamoru explains a bit. The girls are about to leave, but wait! Who's looking at who? Be careful girls, your under watch!
1. Prologue

"But why Mamoru

The usual disclaimer: Neither Sailor Moon nor DragonBall Z belong to me, I am simply borrowing the characters for a time to use in my twisted little stories. If I did own them, I would be rich and famous, and rename myself the supreme goddess of the moon. But since I don't, and since I'm not, I'm writing this disclaimer. Remember - I only do what the voices tell me to do…. 

Key:

Italics mean thought

Chan = term of endearment

PROLOUGE

"But why Mamoru? Why can't we be together? I don't understand…" with a gasp Usagi woke up, pushing her sweat soaked bangs off of her forehead. She had been having a recurring dream of her and Mamoru's breakup, which was also the only thing she had been thinking about for the past few weeks. She couldn't get it out of her mind. And the dream wasn't helping any… Again and again, she asked herself why… Was it something she did? Something she said? The way she acted? 

"Oh Mamoru…. I would do anything to be with you once again…." And with that small statement of longing, desperation, and misery, Usagi curled into a fetal position and sobbed herself back into a restless slumber, back to her tortured nightmares once again…

Something was ringing… buzzing… blaring…. Usagi jerked awake, sitting up straight and swiveling around to get a good look at her alarm clock. The dial read 6:30 a.m. Plenty of time…She collapsed on the bed, relieved at not waking up late for once…. On the other hand, it **was** only 6:30…. Half an hour of extra sleep couldn't hurt… She closed her eyes, trying to slip back into the warmth, safety, and comfort only slumber had been able to give her…. Mamoru sure couldn't…. A small whimper escaped her tightly pursed lips at the thought of her supposed eternal love…. _I'm never going to get back to sleep this way, that's for sure… I should take a shower, get ready… maybe if I'm early Mamo-chan will see that I am not so scatter-brained as he thinks…. Perhaps he will take me back… _

With that thought propelling her, Usagi threw off the bedclothes and collected her clothing. As she slowly walked down the hallway to the bathroom, she thought how surprised everyone would be at her early arrival to school. Grinning at the concept of everyone's shocked expressions, she quickened her pace to the bathroom door, wanting to get to ready as fast as possible. 

__

Ahhh…. Finally, school is over, for today anyway… now, to relax, kick back, and get my mind off of these… problems…. Usagi continued to walk away from school, still thinking about the day, her brow furrowed deeply in thought. A smile flitted across her features as she thought of everyone's expressions when she had walked into class before the late bell. Ms. Haruna had been especially shocked. Usagi giggled as she wondered what would have happened if Ms. Haruna had been twenty years older... _We might have had a real medical crisis on our hands... "Doctor, we have a heart attack victim on our hands! We're not sure what caused it…" _Usagi was lost her chain of thought as someone called her name.

"Hey Usagi, wait up!" The blond girl turned around to see Minako and Makoto rushing towards her. 

"Kudos on the early class arrival today, Usa-chan!" Makoto complimented her. 

"Yea, that look on Ms. Haruna's face was priceless! I wish I had a camera! What a Kodak moment!" Minako chattered excitedly. 

__

"Thanks guys. That expression was partly the reason I got up this morning," Usagi replied. 

"Speaking of priceless… You know Usa-chan, I think you should write out a whole ad for those Mastercard people." Minako schemed. "You know, 10 dollars for an alarm clock – 50 bucks for a comforter – 100 dollars to get Usagi out of bed in the morning – the look on Ms. Haruna's face – priceless." 

"No, Mina-chan," Makoto laughingly replied. "It takes more than that to get Usa-chan out of bed in the morning." 

The two girls became involved in an argument about how much it would cost to get the notoriously sleepy headed blond out of bed in the morning. Usagi giggled again as she listened to their argument. _The reality of it is that friends like I have are priceless…_Usagi thought.

The three girls continued to walk on until they came to an intersection. Usagi broke into Minako's and Makoto's dialogue. "Hey guys, sorry to interrupt the debate - but where exactly are we going?" Minako and Makoto looked at her with blank stares. 

"I dunno, Usa-chan," Makoto slowly replied. "We could head over to the temple."

"Hey, sounds good to me," responded Minako. "Usually we never go over there except on senshi business. Visiting simply for fun could be a welcome change."

"For once, Mina-chan, you make sense," Usagi joked. "Let's head over– it'll be a (hopefully) welcome surprise." 

Usagi, Minako, and Makoto all sneaked up the temple steps. They had hatched a plan to surprise Rei, and were trying their best to keep it a surprise. However, that wasn't working out too well. The three senshi were trying their best to hold back the giggles that want to burst out into full fledged laughter, but they were determined to try and make it up the steps without making any major sounds. Tiptoeing up the steps and staying as close to the shadows as possible, the three friends kept tripping over each other's feet, and kept accusing each other of making a noise. Of course, all of them were at fault, but each told themselves that it wasn't their fault that they were giggling uncontrollably, it was the fact that Makoto had just caught her shirt on a tree branch, causing a rip that let a little too much cleavage show. Or they may have been laughing because Usagi had just tripped over Minako's foot and almost fell down the steps... no one was sure, but the hilarity was definitely there, and it was getting very bad. The group would almost pee their pants at the smallest thing, which wouldn't have seemed even remotely funny a minute ago. But who could judge the logic of a group of 16-year-old girls? 

They finally managed to stifle their giggles, or at least keep them down to a minimum, as they approached the doorway of the temple. However, since their plan had been doomed from the moment they set foot on the first temple step, Rei had somehow (what a surprise) managed to hear them advancing, and stood in the temple doorway. That might have been the reason Minako and Usagi almost fell down the temple steps after Makoto had stopped without warning. Of course, the two blondes, not looking where they were going, crashed into Makoto and both promptly lost their footing. How the two managed to stop from tumbling down the steps remains a mystery. 

"What exactly were you baka's doing creeping up my temple stairs?" Rei demanded. "And it better be a good excuse for interrupting my fire readings!"

Makoto looked around, hoping that someone else would answer. But seeing that Usagi and Minako were still struggling to get untangled, she realized it was all up to her to give a good explanation, and fast.

"Ha ha, we were just… ummm…" Makoto put one hand behind her head as she stumbled over an explanation of wondering whether there had been any new visitors at the temple lately who looked suspicious, laughed nervously again, and prayed to Kami that Rei bought it. 

"Yea, Mako-chan…" Rei said slowly, sweat drops appearing on her head. Meanwhile, the senshi of Jupiter was still standing there laughing frantically. "I swear, sometimes you are as bad as those two," Rei said, pointing down at the two blondes, who had finally disentangled themselves and were crawling back up the stairs, uttering a nervous giggle everytime they glanced at one another. "Jeez. I can't believe I have friends like you," Rei commented laughingly. "Come on inside."

The four girls entered the temple. However, the three who had originally sneaked up the steps with so much (supposed) slyness and stealth, now acted nervous and downcast. They all were expecting a scolding from Rei, and thus were extremely surprised to hear a chuckle. Three heads snapped up – one with hair the color of daffodil petals, one with hair the color of rays of sunlight, and one with hair the color of toffee. Rei stood in front of the three guilty faces, and started to laugh in earnest. 

"Oh man, all of your expressions were the greatest! You really thought you were going to sneak up on me! Mako-chan, your face was frozen in a look of someone who has just seen a ghost!" Rei exclaimed, laughter dancing in her eyes. "And I have never seen Minako and Usagi do something more clutzy! Oh man, that whole scene was priceless!" As Rei collapsed in helpless fits of laughter, the three senshi who stood in front of her started to giggle as well.

"Yea, I guess it is pretty funny…" Makoto said self-consciously, while starting to laugh at herself.

"Hey Minako," Usagi whispered to her friend, "Weren't we talking about things that were 'priceless' on the way down here?" 

"Oh yea, I forgot about that…" Minako whispered back. "But how perfect is this?" And the girls were again taken by an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

"So girls, why **did **you drop by?" Rei pestered. "There had to be some reason."

"Nope," Minako replied cheerfully. "We just decided to drop by." 

"Yea," Makoto chimed in. "We figured it would be a nice change to meet here for something other than study groups or senshi business."

"We all needed a break from that," Usagi agreed. 

"Well guys, your right for once. Finally we can relax and do nothing while the world turns." Rei said contentedly. "Nothing to worry about…."

"We can be semi-normal for a little bit…." Usagi said.

"No major tests in school…" Minako said happily.

"Finally those midterms are over," Makoto said

"Well, not quite Mako-chan. We **do** still have that science quiz in two weeks," a new voice interrupted the four teenager's daydreams. 

"Ami! Hey, what's up?" Usagi exclaimed at the sight of the blue haired girl standing in the doorway. 

"I just thought I would drop by the temple, and maybe convince Rei to study with me," Ami replied. "I wasn't expecting you guys to be here, though."

"Well, we just decided it would be a good idea to just drop by and hang out for a while," said Usagi.

"Though it might be a stroke of luck," Ami mused. "We could get in a study session!" The remark elicited groans from all the girls, which caused Ami to look around in surprise. "What?" She asked innocently.

"Ami-chan…. We did sorta come here to **not **study," Makoto replied.

"Yea, we need to STOP studying." Minako agreed. I mean, what if we waste our young lives pining over grades and the next test, and walk around all day with our nose in a book!" Minako cried out. 

Sweatdrops appeared on all the girls' heads at Minako's outburst. "Ummmm… yea…." Usagi murmured. 

"ANYWAY, no studying today, guys. No books are going to be opened in this temple at all!!" Makoto declared. "And that means…." Makoto grabbed Ami's book and ran over to some shelves, where she proceeded to place all the books on the highest shelf. "There are some advantages to being tall," Makoto said, satisfied that none of the other girls were going to be able to reach the textbooks. 

"But Mako-chan! " Ami protested.

"Ah ah ah!" Makoto scolded. "There will be no studying, and I meant it! So there!" 

"Well...I guess I can always catch up later," Ami thought out loud. "So Rei, where **do **you hide the chocolate in this place?" The girls chuckled at Ami's query, and headed to Rei's room. The girls got comfortable on her bed and couch and settled down to chat for hours about nothing. Their topic's included the latest hot guy, those pathetic things the fashion world called 'chic' and 'fresh', and whether anyone had smelled that awful stench in study hall. As the girls whiled away the time, they were unaware that a greater darkness was overtaking them. 

Well guys, how do you like it? My first attempt at fanfic writing, and while I didn't include DBZ in this chapter, there will be more to come. Please, please, I need feedback! Flames, constructive criticism, checks, and flowers can all be sent to spirit_of_cosmos@hotmail.com!


	2. Dark Tides

The usual disclaimer: Neither Sailor Moon nor DragonBall Z belong to me, I am simply borrowing the characters for a time to use in my twisted little stories

The usual disclaimer: Neither Sailor Moon nor DragonBall Z belong to me, I am simply borrowing the characters for a time to use in my twisted little stories. If I did own them, I would be rich and famous, and rename myself the supreme goddess of the moon. But since I don't, and since I'm not, I'm writing this disclaimer. Remember - I only do what the voices tell me to do…. 

Key:

Italics mean thought

Chan = term of endearment, usually used by young girls when addressing their friends

Chapter One – Dark Tides

The rain pounded down on the roof of the temple, making a comforting drumming sound that accompanied the girls cheerful talk. 

"So Mina-chan, if you were so **over **that guy Huri, then why are you always talking about him?" Usagi teased her tow headed friend. 

"Ummmm… well…. I'm just pondering about how to… ummm… get my revenge! Yea, that's it!" Minako threw out, trying her best not to blush bright red. 

"That's what they all say," Usagi replied teasingly.

"Hey, leave Mina-chan alone," Ami defended the senshi of love. 

"Yea, its not as if **you **have any guy troubles!" Rei commented sardonically. "I mean, you and Mamoru aren't about to break up any time soon, right?"

At the mention of the dark haired 20 year old, Usagi's eyes darkened and she turned serious. "Well guys, I'm not so sure anymore about that…." Usagi trailed off.

"WHAT?" Makoto interrupted hurriedly. "How can you say that, Usa-chan? We all know about the future, I mean, you two are destined to be together!"

"Exactly," Minako agreed, flustered. "We already have the proof. How many times has Chibi-Usa come to visit us? How many times has Mamoru been addressed as 'King Endymion?' We have all seen the future, it **will** come to pass."

Usagi's eyes darkened further at her friend's words. "I know... I know… and that's why it's so hard to come to terms with the fact that… Mamo-chan doesn't love me any more…."

The four senshi surrounding 'odango atama' sat there in silence, shocked at the Moon Princess's statement. Usagi gazed at her friends with a look of pain, suffering, and misery in her sapphire eyes. Guilt and unease were reflected back at her from her friend's faces. A single tear drop slowly rolled down Usagi's cheek, and as she surveyed the figures around her, she tried to catch their eyes. But each girl eyes were averted, and Rei turned away from the Moon Princess. 

"I'm sorry, Usa-chan… we… we…" Rei, with her face still turned from Usagi's gaze, spoke quietly. Lightning crashed outside, and the raven haired priestess jumped at the sudden sound.

"You what, Rei-chan? I – I don't understand…" Usagi said confusedly.

"We didn't want to hurt you, Usagi…" Ami choked out. "We knew how much you loved him…. We knew you would do anything for him…."

"No…" Usagi said quietly. "I don't want to hear this guys… Please stop…" 

"He… Mamoru…" Minako began, only to falter midsentence and stop. 

"Please guys! Stop!" Usagi pleaded

"He was cheating on you, Usa-chan…" Makoto finally said what the other girls had not been able to bring themselves to do. "I'm sorry."

Usagi looked at each of them with tortured eyes." I only wanted you guys to tell me I was wrong… Tell me I was being silly… Not tell me I was right… I… I… I have to go home… its getting dark…" Usagi choked out. She grabbed her things, looking at each of the girls in turn, who still avoided her gaze.

As she ran out the door, Minako rose to go after her. A hand restrained her. "No, Mina-chan. She needs to sort out things for herself," Rei said. 

"But… but…" Minako protested.

"Leave her be for now," Rei insisted, brushing away a tear. Heaving a sigh of defeat, Minako sat down again, and the girls sat in silence, waiting for Usagi's questionable return. 

_Why didn't they tell me… I already had suspicions… they should have told me! I don't understand why not… But they kept it a secret… WHY? _Usagi's mind was whirling with the implications what her friends had just told her. She ran blindly through the streets, the rain pounding down on her head. She had already gotten soaked, and her clothes clung to her like a second skin. Her briefcase had been discarded a few streets back, and she hadn't bothered to pick it up. She continued to run through the streets of Tokyo, not paying attention to her surroundings. _Why Mamo-chan, why? I never meant for you to hate me… I hoped my suspicions would prove fruitless… Everyone would laugh, and reassure me that I was wrong… But you were cheating on me? _She thought incredulously. _Is that why you have pushed me away? You were with someone else? That would explain…. Everything… _Usagi's train of thought was interrupted by a slippery patch of concrete, as she lost her footing and went flat on her back. Being unprepared for the fall, it totally knocked the wind out of her, and she lay on the wet concrete in a daze, the rain pouring down on her. Now that she had stopped running blindly down streets, she looked around and took a minute to get her bearings. It was then she realized that she was totally lost. None of the buildings looked familiar, and when she looked up at the signpost she realized she had never heard of this street. She examined her leg, which was starting to throb. There was a large, rather nasty cut up the side of it. 

"Kuso... just what I need now… On top of it all…" Usagi murmured resignedly. Sighing, she pulled herself up with the help of a nearby lamppost, and limped over to a bench. She sat down to tend to her leg, winced in pain as she touched her cut, and realized that it was deeper than it looked. "Kuso… kuso… why the hell did this have to happen…" She asked herself. "Why?" And with that, she put her head in her hands and started to cry. 

"Oh Princess… I wish it never had to happen this way..." Pluto observed the scene with pity for the young heartbroken girl. _Why couldn't that man simply ruin his future, not hers… She doesn't deserve this…. Perhaps though… perhaps she can still be happy… _The tall, green haired woman abruptly turned from the time gate… "Maybe I can still help her…"

Pluto stood in front of a full length mirror, and brought out her time staff. _Well, I'm not supposed to use my magic for something other than senshi business… but I suppose that this is senshi business… _Holding her staff high above her head, she began to slowly twirl it, muttering incantations under her breath. Faster and faster the staff twirled, and in a burst of magic that showered down on Setsuna, the staff glowed dark green and disappeared into Setsuna's lunar pocket. The ruby eyed guardian of time looked herself over in the mirror, surveying her appearance with satisfaction. _The time gates will be alright. for a little bit..._She thought to herself, and with a flurry of green leaves, she disappeared into the fog.

Usagi was jerked out of her reverie by a sixth sense that told her something was wrong. She had stopped crying a while ago, but still sat on the bench, contemplating the recent turn of events. But now she was aware that something… something wasn't right, but what was it? As she stood up, a streak of pain shot up her leg, reminding her of her earlier fall on the concrete. She scanned the surrounding area, but saw nothing. And then, a voice called out from the darkness. 

"Usagiiii……. Usagi…….. Princess of the White Moon….. I have come to claim you at last……."

"What? Who? Who's there? Show yourself!" Usagi spun around, trying to determine the source of the voice. It seemed to be coming from a dark alleyway. Usagi slowly backed up until she was pressed against a wall. "Come out into the light! I'm not afraid of you!"

"Gladly…." A youma stepped out of the alleyway. It was a gorgeous creature… but also macabre. Long legs, ending in high heels, seemed to draw your eye upwards to the tightly fitted green dress. Arms crossed over it's chest, seeming to enlarge the cleavage even more. A perfectly sculpted collarbone and shoulders led upward to the classic face. Short emerald hair framed the creatures breath taking features... a perfect little nose, ruby red lips pursed just right, high cheekbones… except for the eyes.. Usagi couldn't see the eyes, which were still shadowed. 

"Tuskino Usagi… rabbit of the moon… Sailor Moon… Princess Serenity…. Neo Queen Serenity… You see, I know all about you… I have been stalking you for a while now…"

"But why? I don't understand? What do you want with me?" A confused Usagi asked.

"Well girl, I am serving the great Galaxia…" the youma responded.

"But… but… she is dead! Gone!" Usagi insisted. 

"Exactly my point…. You killed her…. And now, I shall get revenge for my fallen queen. And YOU shall die," the youma declared. 

"Wait!" Usagi cried out.

"I don't think so. You're not transforming now. I'm not stupid enough to let you do that. And… you won't transform - ever again." With that, the youma conjured a ball of energy, and shot it at Usagi's compact. The compact shattered, and Usagi was slammed against the wall she had already been backed against, adding multiple bruises and scrapes to the girl's body. However, the Silver Crystal bounced out of the case, unharmed, and skidded away from Usagi toward the green haired beauty. The monster reached down to pick it up, and inspected it in the light. It had stopped raining about the time the youma had called Usagi's name, and the moon had come out from behind the clouds. It was now casting an eerie white glow over everything, exposing every little crack, nook and cranny anyone who cared. The only thing that you couldn't see clearly was the eyes of the beautiful monster. And something told Usagi that she didn't want to see them. The monster held the crystal up to the light for a moment, transfixed by it's beauty. Usagi took the moments distraction to flip open her communicator. She pressed the insignia of all the girls, and as soon as their faces popped up on screen, she started to talk. 

"You guys, help! There's a youma from Galaxia's time who just destroyed my locket! It wants to kill me! I don't know where I am! Help me!"

"We're coming, Usagi!" the girls cried out. 

Ami, always the logical one, asked, "What street are you on?" 

"I don't know Ami! I was running – I don't know! I think I'm on the corner of-" 

The screen went blank. The girls, cut off from their princess, all drew in a collective gasp. 

"Usagi! Usagi!" Rei cried out. "Ami, can you locate her?"

"I think so – give me a minute," Ami said. 

"We don't have a minute!" Makoto cried out. "Everyone – transform now!"

"Hey! No fair! Did I say you could talk to anyone?!" The youma scolded, and shot a ball of green energy at Usagi's wrist, shattering the communicator and burning the blonde. 

"Oh no! I didn't tell them where I was!" Usagi cried out in despair.

"Yea, well, too bad for them, right? Now, where was I?" The youma spoke again. "Oh yes, about to kill you. Well... I have to get on with my job." The eyes, which had been covered by shadow until now, were suddenly exposed, and Usagi drew in a terrified gasp. The monsters eyes… were not there. There were only two holes that were located where eyes were supposed to be, and suddenly the youma grinned. A horrifying caricature of a skull in process of decomposition was exposed, and where there had only been stunning beauty before, there was now only death, decay, and horror. The youma saw Usagi's expression, and grinned again. "Don't be afraid now. Someday you will look like this too."

Usagi backed away, whimpering with fear. "Hey. Come back! I'm just showing you what age can do to a body." The youma said. Laughing maniacally, the youma conjured up a huge ball of green energy. 'Time to say goodbye to this dimension, princess!" The now hideous creature threw the ball of energy straight at Moon Princess, who could only watch it come. Closer, closer……

The scouts now transformed, Mercury was typing in some numbers on her computer. "Usagi's communicator last transmitted from... Torikami Street in the Utena Region." 

"Right!" Venus cried out. "This way!" She jumped off the tree they had been standing in, racing across the street and up onto a low rooftop.

"Let's do it!" Jupiter declared, and followed Venus. 

"Lets go!" Mars said affirmatively and ran off, with Mercury trailing behind her. 

The ball of light was coming closer…. closer… closer… Usagi saw her whole life flash in front of her eyes… Scenes from childhood… Meeting Mamoru as a little girl at the hospital... Her friendship with Naru… finding out she was Sailor Moon… fights with Beryl, Fiore, Wiseman, Mistress 9 and Pharoh 90, Queen Nehilenia…. Her friendships had prevailed through it all… and supposedly her love had as well…. But she wasn't so sure anymore… and now, she realized it didn't matter any more… She thought she heard someone call her name…. But now it didn't matter, and she let the light take her away.

"Usagi!!!" Mars called out in horror. The four senshi had arrived at the scene of the fight just as the ball of green light was thrown at the blonde headed girl slumped against the wall. The energy expanded, grew larger and larger, and then it hit Usagi. There was no sound – time stood still for the four senshi as they watched their princess vanish….. 

"NOOOOOO!!!!" Venus cried out. 

Jupiter and Mars flung themselves simultaneously toward their princess in an effort to shield her… but to no avail. She was already gone, and the green energy that blasted her had disappeared as well, leaving not a scratch on the wall against which Usagi had been slumped. 

"Usagi!" Ami cried out, not daring to believe she was gone. She turned towards the now hideous monster, cringing back when she saw the disgusting sight of the rotting youma. "What have you done with her?" Ami demanded, tears starting to flow.

"Me? Oh, nothing… I told her she was going to a new dimension… and she did! Courtesy of me!' the youma relied laughingly. 

"Why you…." Jupiter turned to face the youma. 'You bitch!" Jupiter raced towards the youma, intent on helping it decay a hell of a lot faster. 

"Ah ah ah!" The youma teased. "I don't think so! My work is done here, so long!" And with that, the disgusting youma phased out with a swirl of green leaves. 

"Kuso!" Jupiter cried out. She had let the youma get away, and had no one to blame but herself. Jupiter turned to look where Usagi was last seen… to encounter a stone wall, and her friends crouching by it. "I'm…. I'm sorry, guys.. I couldn't stop it…" Jupiter choked out. 

"No…" Mercury responded with tears flowing down her cheeks. "**We **couldn't stop it."

Venus and Mars looked on the scene with teardrops in their eyes. 

"It was my fault," they both accused themselves at the same time. Tears were now flowing freely down all of the senshi's cheeks. Jupiter walked over to the wall, and kneeled down in front of it. _I lost her…. _Jupiter blamed herself again. _She's gone… its all my fault. _

Mars, Mercury, and Venus all followed Jupiter's example and kneeled down in front of the wall. Mars caressed the wall's rough texture, wishing with all her might that Usagi was still here. _It's all my fault… I should've let Minako go after her… No, **I **should have gone after her…_

Venus dropped her head and drew in a shaky breath, only to let it out again in a strangled sob. _Why didn't I insist on going after her? Why did I let Rei stop me…_

Mercury kneeled next to the stone wall, and slumped against it. As the tears took her over, she slid to the sidewalk and held her head in her hands. _Why wasn't I faster? The people of Mercury are supposedly renowned for speed and knowledge… I should have been there faster… _

Each senshi kneeled at the base of the wall and grieved at the loss of their leader… their friend… their queen… and part of themselves.

In the fog of the time gate, a green haired woman suddenly blinked into existence with a flurry of leaves. As she looked down at the scene of the four senshi crying, her heart went out to them. _If you only knew how hard it was to do that… Inside, I grieve as much as you… I'm sorry… I can only hope Usagi is happy in her new home._

Usagi awoke to the feeling of weightlessness. She glanced around and saw she was floating down a large corridor, heading towards an doorway of sorts, which was radiating brightness. She wondered how she had gotten to this weird place, and remembered her encounter with the youma. Strange... When that energy hit her she hadn't felt a thing. Perhaps this was the afterlife… She glanced down at her body, and saw all the bumps, bruises and scrapes were still there. _Well, you are supposed to get a whole new body when you die, right? Which means I should be alright…._

In another time, place, and galaxy, a new life was starting. "Congratulations, Mrs. Son! It's a girl!"

I bet you guys hate me now for leaving it like this! I know, I hate cliffhangers too. But I am already putting my head to the grindstone for the next chapter of Tides of Darkness, and there will definitely be a lot of DBZ. So for all you deprived fans, the next chapters for you. Oh, and r/r! No fanfic writer can get anywhere without input. Send all flames, flowers, checks, and constructive criticism to spirit_of_cosmos@hotmail


	3. Tides of Life

The usual disclaimer: Neither Sailor Moon nor DragonBall Z belong to me, I am simply borrowing the characters for a time to use in my twisted little stories

The usual disclaimer: Neither Sailor Moon nor DragonBall Z belong to me, I am simply borrowing the characters for a time to use in my twisted little stories. If I did own them, I would be rich and famous, and rename myself the supreme goddess of the moon. But since I don't, and since I'm not, I'm writing this disclaimer. Remember - I only do what the voices tell me to do…. 

Key:

Italics mean thought

Chan = term of endearment, usually used by young girls when addressing their friends

Chapter 2 – Waves of Life

In another time, place, and galaxy, a new life was starting. "Congratulations, Mrs. Son! It's a girl!" With a sigh of relief Chi-Chi accepted the blonde eyed, blond haired little girl into her arms. Wrapped up in a tight bundle, the infant looked up into the face of her mother and smiled an instantly endearing smile. Chi-Chi could only respond with an answering smile, her eyes shining with the joy that her little girl had brought into the world with her arrival. 

A strident voice interrupted her musings. "Mrs. Son? What will you name her? Mrs. Son?" Chi-Chi's head snapped up at the query, but she relaxed as she responded. 

"Her name will be… Usagi," she declared, and gazed down at her newly named daughter for approval. At the unvoiced question in her mother's eyes, Usagi cooed in favor of the name, and smiled up at her mothers shining face. 

"That's it!" Krillin declared, pacing back and forth in the waiting room. "I'm going in to get her! Chi-Chi has been in there too long! Something has happened!"

"I'm going in with you!" Gohan declared. "No doctors are gonna steal my mom OR my future little sister or brother!" Gohan was currently pacing around the small room as well, passing Krillin in the middle. Pausing at one end of the room, he asked, "Bulma, what time is it?"

"5:27 p.m., Gohan dear."

"Oh."

Five minutes later….

"Bulma, what time is it?"

Bulma ground her teeth in frustration. "5:32, Gohan dear." 

"Oh."

Five minutes later… 

"Bulma, what time is it?"

"5:37, Gohan DEAR," if you had been listening closely to that exchange, you could have told the 'dear' was getting rather forced, to say the least. Of course, Gohan didn't notice. In some ways, he was enough like his father to be a younger twin, impossible as that seems. 

"Oh."

Five minutes later…

"Bulma-" Gohan began, only to be cut off by an enraged Bulma whose patience had just run out.

"Gohan, you've asked me the same question approximately 67 times in the past five hours!" she yelled at Gohan. "You need to **calm down**! Find a book to read! Watch TV! Talk to Krillin! Try to contact your dad! In other words, **SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP**!"

Gohan blinked at Bulma's outburst. "How did you know what I was gonna ask?"

Bulma's only response was a sprawling facefault.

The doctor helped Chi-Chi into a wheelchair and covered her up with a baby blue blanket. "We will have a nurse help you out to your car, alright?" An exhausted Chi-Chi could only manage an assenting mumble at the doctor's words, as Usagi was gently eased into her arms. Chichi smiled down at the little girl nestled in the crook of her arms, smiling up at her. 

"Mom!" Gohan cried, rushing over to her. Sitting in a wheelchair, Chi-Chi freed one arm from Usagi to give her boy a hug. Krillin and Bulma both rushed over and all three attacked Chi-Chi with questions until the nurse shushed them. 

"Now calm down, boys. They both made it through the labor safe and sound, and you, young man," the nurse declared, wearing a wide grin, should be quite proud. You have a new-"

"Baby sister?" Bulma questioned softly. She had crept around the left side of Chi-Chi while Gohan and Krillin were making a fuss, and had taken a peep at the golden haired child that lay nestled in the crook of Chi-Chi's arm. 

"What?" Gohan and Krillin exclaimed at the exact same moment, and rushed around to the Bulma's side. They looked over the shoulders of Bulma, who was making cooing sounds at the drowsy infant. Gohan and Krillin both smiled softly at the sight of the endearing face of the baby. She smiled in response, and giggled softly as both Gohan and Krillin both grinned 200-watt smiles. 

"What's her name?" Bulma questioned. 

"Usagi," Chi-Chi said. "She's my little rabbit."

"She doesn't look like a rabbit to me," Krillin said uncertainly. Bulma and Chi-Chi only laughed. 

"Come on guys, lets bring her home," Bulma said. "We have a new addition to the family to show off."

Everyone instantly fell in love with Usagi when she was brought home, and so, as she got older, she was coddled, played with, and given all the attention any little girl could have wanted. However, she never became spoiled, and remained a well-mannered little girl. Even as a baby, she was sweet and gentle, and as she grew, she remained that way. Chi-Chi could not be more proud of her daughter, and everyone else who came in contact with Usagi named themselves her protectors, from Krillin to Master Roshi. 

But Gohan remained the most protective of his little sister. He was always by her side, and took endless delight in the littlest of her actions. He helped her walk her first step, and was there for her first word (which turned out to be bunny). 

And, of course, Usagi had friends her own age. Bulma was constantly bringing Trunks over to play with her, saying they would become the best of friends. How true... From the first moment Trunks laid eyes on Usagi, he became starry eyed with wonderment that here was a creature, smaller and more fragile than he was. And so he deemed himself to be the one to protect Usagi. 

Whenever Bulma came to the Son household, she would set him down and he would toddle off as fast as his two and a half-year-old legs would let him to go see the 9 month old Usagi. If she was sleeping in her crib, he would some how manage to climb right in with her, and it would be there they would find him. Fast asleep, tucked under the blanket with Usagi, neither Bulma nor Chi-Chi would have the heart to move them. Instead, out came the camera. 

"Blackmail!" Chi-Chi had exclaimed when they had first encountered the scene of the two sleeping. 

"What do you mean?" asked Bulma. 

"Bulma, remember when you invented that high tech digital camera?"

"Yea. Didn't I give one to you?"

"Yes yes! It's on the mantle in my bedroom. Go get it!"

"Ok. On the mantle?"

"Yes, now hurry before they wake up!" Chi-chi whispered excitedly. Bulma ran off to the bedroom, retrieved the camera, and running back, handed it to Chi-Chi.

"Don't give it to me! Are you kidding?" Chi-Chi whispered incredulously. "I don't know how to work this thing! You do it!"

"Ok," Bulma said, humbled. "Here, give it to me." Holding the camera in shaky hands, she focused the lens on the two sleeping angels and pressed a red button on top. A flash went off, blinding both women. Another flash went off, and another. Suddenly the camera shot out of Bulma's hands and started taking pictures of the two from all angles. Flash after flash went off, and after about 15 successive blinding burst of light, it died down and flew back into Bulma's hand. 

"Bulma?" Chi-chi said confusedly.

"I guess… I made a few too many modifications…" Bulma responded, with her hand on top of her head. A sweat drop appeared on Chi-Chi's head. 

"A few?" she questioned dryly. 

"Ummm… well, as soon as these spot disappear from my eyes, I'll tell you about it."

"Nevermind. I don't want to know." 

Well, they did get the pictures – approximately twenty different ones. They were all priceless, and the two scheming mothers flashed each other evil smiles as they looked at the shots. 

"Wait until they become teenagers." Bulma said with an evil cackle.

"OH yea…." Chi-Chi said.

Both Usagi and Trunks remained best friends, and were never separated from each other. Each child showed signs of great power, so it was decided that each would begin trainong on their fourth birthday. However, the first training session did not go well. Since Trunks turned four first, (obviously) he was brought into a large field behind Chi-Chi's house. Gohan, now 15, had taken it upon himself to train the little boy. But Trunks refused to do anything. He turned away from Gohan whenever Gohan said something, and was unresponsive to all coaxing, threatening, and pleading.

"Trunks, what is wrong?" Gohan finally asked, his patience giving out. 

"Want Usa," the toddler replied quietly. Gohan crouched down to the toddlers eye level. 

'You want Usagi?" he asked.

Trunks faced brightened at the mention of his friend's name. He nodded excitedly and pointed towards the house. "We go get Usa! Yes?"

"Alright, if you will agree to train."

"Yea, yea! Train, with Usa!" Trunks cried out. 

"Whatever, Trunks," Gohan said. "Let's go get Usagi and **then **you will train. Right?"

"Yea, yea!" Trunks yelled as he sprinted across the field towards the house. 

"Hold your horses, I'm coming," Gohan called as he flew towards the house, slowing behind the toddler and making sure the little boy didn't trip.

"Yea! Usa!" Trunks said once again, causing Gohan to smile. No matter how annoying Trunks could be at times, he always managed to worm his way back into anyone's heart. 

A little while later….

"Alright, Trunks, we've got Usagi out here, are you ready to train?" Gohan asked the toddler.

"Yea, yea!" Trunks shot a look at Usagi, who was lying on a blanket nearby, shaded by a large beach umbrella. 

"Oh, I see," Gohan teased, "You want to impress Usagi, don't you?" Gohan laughed at the lilac haired youngster who was currently glaring at Gohan. Trunks then turned and looked at Usagi, who gave him a little smile and a wave as if she was saying, "Go ahead, punch his lights out!"

"Be quiet, Goha'!" Trunks said, and while Gohan laughed some more at the obvious affection between the four-year-old and two-year-old, Trunks charged. 

"Aaaaaaaaaaaha!" Trunks yelled triumphantly, as his fist came in contact with Gohan's… hand? The toddler's brow wrinkled in confusion. Hadn't he been aiming for Gohan's stomach? How did his hand get in the way? Gohan laughed at the toddler's apparent dilemma, and so was unprepared when Trunks other fist punched him square in the stomach. Quickly glancing down, he saw Trunks' triumphant smile, and so decided to play along. 

'Oh man! You knocked the wind out of me, Trunks!" Trunks only response was a laugh, and, sure enough, he had looked over at Usagi for approval. Gohan glanced over and saw the little girl clapping her hands in delight, and giggling her encouragement. Gohan glimpsed a light blush spreading across the little boy's features as Trunks smiled at Usagi. 

_Well, this should turn out to be quite interesting. _

From then on, Trunks always trained with Usagi watching him, and if anyone tried to separate the two during those hours, both would start crying at the top of their lungs. Clinging together, they would refuse to go. And so it was torture for everyone involved when it came time for Trunks to go to school. 

On the first fateful day of kindergarten, when Bulma tried to take Trunks to the elementary school, he wouldn't stop crying for Usagi. He clung to his mother's leg as she tried to leave the classroom, and only after 20 minutes of alternating between coaxing and threatening did he let go. Even so, he only sat in the corner and cried all day long, and so Bulma found him like that at approximately 3:00. 

That same day, Usagi had woken up at exactly the same time as Trunks had gotten dropped off at school, and started crying. She hadn't stopped all day long, and simply curled up in a corner of her crib, crying for Trunks. Chi-chi could make neither heads nor tails of the situation, and tried every trick to cheer up her normally happy child. But nothing worked, and as Chi-chi began to pull out her hair in frustration, the sobs stopped for a moment, and she heard Usagi whisper one word. 

"Trunks…" Usagi's tiny hands opened instinctively, as if offering a hand to someone… And then, she reflexively clenched her hand shut, and began once again to sob. 

"Ohhh…" Chi-chi whispered in understanding. "I see…" She reached a hand down and stroked Usagi's hair. "Don't worry, little one. He will return."

Usagi lifted her huge sapphire eyes to her mother's, and shook her head. She brought one tiny fist up and slammed it down into the pillow. Sparks and feathers flew as the pillow burst at weakened seams, and when Chi-chi could see again through the resulting cloud of feathers, she saw Usagi, once again crying, curled up into the ball she seemed to favor. The only difference was that this time, Usagi's fist was sparking, and a breeze that had no right to be there was ruffling the blond toddler's bangs. 

"Oh my…" Chi-chi murmured. She had been expecting Usagi to have power – after all, look at her father! But at such a young age… Chi-chi was taken aback. "Well, Trunks, I think you will have a sparring partner earlier than you expected…"

At approximately 3:00 that day Usagi stopped crying, and brightened up. The air of misery she had been exuding was now replaced by one of sunshine. Babbling nonsense, she sat in her crib, facing the doorway, obviously expecting someone to walk in that door at any minute.

"How do you know?" Chi-chi mused to herself. "What a bond you two have… So strong… I hope it never fades."

Usagi's only response to her mother's words was a heartbreaking smile, and a giggle. "Trunks!"

"Usa!" Trunks cried out excitedly, jumping from the hover car. 

Bulma had known from the morning of crying and pleading what it was that Trunks so obviously missed, she made sure to stop at Chi-chi's house. Now that they had finally arrived, Trunks had been so excited to see his best friend that he had broken his seatbelt, obviously too impatient to unbuckle it. 

"Trunks… Oh well. I guess you deserve a little leeway from your fist day of kindergarten," Bulma said to herself as she watched Trunks fly into the little house. _Maybe… maybe he shouldn't even go to kindergarten… Maybe I should do what Chi-chi did and hire a tutor… Or let him study on his own… Hmmm…_

As Bulma faced the dilemma of taking Trunks out of school, she parked the hovercraft, got out, and started walking towards Chi-chi's house. She had almost reached the door when Chi-chi rushed out to meet her. 

"Come with me! You have to see this!" Chi-chi whispered to Bulma.

"Umm… ok…" Bulma whispered back as Chi-chi seized her wrist and dragged her into the house, headed towards Usagi's room. The pair stopped just short of the little girls room, and when Bulma tried to peer into the doorway, Chi-chi held her back, making a motion to be quiet.

"Shhhh! Don't disturb them!" Chi-chi hissed. "Just look!"

Both women peered around the corner, catching the most adorable sight they had ever seen. Usagi seated in front of the window with Trunk's directly across from her. They were holding hands, and while Trunks had a sad and distraught look in his eyes, Usagi's eye held a message of love and understanding. Usagi freed one hand from Trunks' grasp, and reached up to caress his cheek. He tilted his head into Usagi's palm, and they remained like that for what seemed like ages. The two women quietly pulled back and snuck into the kitchen, shooting each other excited looks. 

"Congratulations, Chi-chi! You have a son-in-law!" Bulma giggled to Chi-chi.

"Same to you, Bulma! I'm sure you will like your daughter-in-law!" Chi-chi squealed excitedly.

The two women collapsed in helpless giggles at the thought of their respective son and daughter wed.

"Oh, the fates definitely have something special planned for those two," Bulma said happily.

Well people, how did you like it? I told you it would be more DBZ themed! (well, sorta… not really in the traditional sense…) Now what am I hearing? Nothing on what's happening back in good old Juban with the senshi? I'll try to include more in the next chapter, but I wouldn't count on it! ANYWAY, to critique my work, write to [spirit_of_cosmos@hotmail.com][1]. Remember, no good fanfiction writer gets anywhere without comments, constructive or otherwise. I accept Master Card, Visa, various checks, money orders, or cold hard cash. 

Sprit of Cosmos

P.S. Doomo Arigato to those who took time to read my stories – Valerie, you rule! Megan, you too! Thanks so much! Couldn't have done it without ya!

   [1]: mailto:spirit_of_cosmos@hotmail.com



	4. Calm Before the Storm

The usual disclaimer: Neither Sailor Moon nor DragonBall Z belong to me, I am simply borrowing the characters for a time to use in my twisted little stories

This is awesome! I have been getting so many good responses to both my stories, so I went ahead and put up some other anime fics I wrote. (See if you can find them! ^_^) Oh, and I have been getting a lot of questions about the senshi. Don't worry, you will hear from them soon! (Hehehe, as in now!) I got inspired by someone asking about the senshi. They had put in a comment along with it that sounded really good, so I'm going to use it! I don't remember exactly who sent it to me, I think it was someone named Diana or something… maybe not, my memory sucks. ANYWAYS, I just want to thank all those that took time out to review me! I have gotten a lot of constructive criticism, and I am grateful for it! Don't stop! Well, that's all for now, please excuse me. I must get back to writing my fanfics!

Spirit of Cosmos

The usual disclaimer: Neither Sailor Moon nor DragonBall Z belong to me, I am simply borrowing the characters for a time to use in my twisted little stories. If I did own them, I would be rich and famous, and rename myself the supreme goddess of the moon. But since I don't, and since I'm not, I'm writing this disclaimer. Remember - I only do what the voices tell me to do….

Chapter Three – Calm Before the Storm 

"Congratulations, Chi-chi! You have a son-in-law!" Bulma giggled to Chi-chi.

"Same to you, Bulma! I'm sure you will like your daughter-in-law!" Chi-chi squealed excitedly.

The two women collapsed in helpless giggles at the thought of their respective son and daughter wed.

"Oh, the fates definitely have something special planned for those two," Bulma said happily.

Apparently, fate did have something special planned for her. It demanded no Sailor Moon… No Moon Kingdom… Nothing ever came about to remind Usagi of her past life, and so she had no problem acting like a normal child. There was no destiny to live out – she finally had the right to form her own.

Pluto watched as Usagi flew down the tunnel, into a new life. Twisting the strings to get Usagi into the DragonBall universe had been tricky, but as Usagi was born again, Pluto breathed a sigh a relief knowing the girl was safe. _Finally, she can be happy. _Pluto turned from the mirror she had been watching Usagi from, and walked a little ways away. Waving her staff, the mirror disappeared. Fog swirled around the empty place where the mirror had been before. Finally settling down, the fog stopped moving. Pluto looked around her silent domain. Walking over to the time gate, she leaned against it, and sighing, looked upwards into the inky blackness. _The calm before the storm… Her friends are going to be coming any minute… What shall I tell them? I killed her? _Running a hand through her dark green hair, she turned her head from the time gate. _I didn't kill her. I merely… sent her off. To be happy… To live a free life… But I will never tell them that. No, I will preserve the image that they saw, that they believe… But for now, I shall wait. Let them come. _

The inner senshi stood in a small circle in Rei's temple. Each stood with their heads bowed, contemplating a course of action now that their leader was… None of the girls could bring themselves, even in their minds, to admit what was fast becoming fact. Every girl there had the illogical hope that Usagi would come bursting in, apologizing for being late **again, **and babbling some inane excuse about Motoki dragging her into the arcade to play the latest game. But as the minutes passed, it was obvious she wasn't coming. And it was becoming clear she never would. Still, each girl stood with their heads bowed, wondering what they should do. The silence was deafening, and it seemed to stretch for ages.

Suddenly, Ami lifted her head, and breaking the silence, murmured one word. "Pluto."

Rei glanced up at Ami. "Yes… she would know what do to. How to fix it."

"Can you communicate with her, Rei?" Makoto asked hopefully. 

"I think so…" she replied uncertainly. 

"Well, thinking so is better than nothing. Get on it now!" Minako said quickly. 

"I agree with Minako, Rei. Try to contact Setsuna now, perhaps she can tell us something," Ami said quietly.

"Alright, let's try it now," Makoto spoke up. 

"Lets?" Rei said indignantly. "Look, since its me who is going to try and contact her, **not** you, I think you all should give me a least a **little **bit of peace and quiet," she finished, looking around at the other girls. 

"Ok, I guess we will check back with you…" Amy trailed off, waiting for Rei to supply her with an answer.

"Believe me, you will know when I get through to Setsuna. You'll feel it – trust me," Rei answered.

"Right then, I guess we will come when the time is right, ne?" Minako said. Nodding, Rei ushered them all out of the temple, and proceeded to the fire. 

Sliding the door closed behind her, she took a deep breath and smoothed her kimono. Walking over to the ceremonial fire, she kneeled down and, taking a deep breath, began to meditate. 

~~~~~~~~~~ Several hours later ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rei sighed and stood up, straightening her robes. Shaking her head in frustration, she flipped a piece of hair out of her eyes and crossed the room to the sliding door and silently pushed it open. Taking a calming breath, she stepped out of the temple, and walked slowly across the courtyard. _Nothing. Five hours of staring into that damn fire, and what do I get? Nothing. As for calling for Pluto… that worked out swell, ne? _Rolling her eyes heaven ward, she bent down to pick up a broom, and started sweeping the spotless stonework of the courtyard. As she worked her way across the stones, she began to relax. 

"Nothing like mindless work to soothe the soul, huh Rei?" A new voice called out. Snapping her head up at the sound, Rei's eyes widened in surprise at the appearance of a figure leaning against the cherry tree. 

"Pluto!?"

Well, what did you think? I know it has been ages since the last update, and I was going to add more (I have the second half of the chapter written on a different document) but it needed to be strung together better. SO, you're going to have to wait! I'm going up to the city this weekend, so don't expect any updates in anything! And again, thanks for all the encouraging responses!

Spirit of cosmos 

p.s. I KNOW this is only two pages, but shorter stories mean more updates! Promise! (Well, mostly… I'm so lazy!) thanks again! =)


	5. Journeys

became her best friend, though it was a onesided friendship

I know, you all hate me for leaving cliffhangers… But I like to be evil! It's fun! Anyway, normal disclaimer – actually, if you want a disclaimer, look at the previous chapters. I don't feel like writing one out for this. 

Chapter 4 – Journey 

"Setsuna?!" Rei cried out in surprise. Slowly, the figure underneath the cherry tree walked into the fading sunlight, revealing the exotic features of the guardian of time, clothed in everyday garments. "It is you!"  
"Yes. I heard your calls. I'm sorry I didn't respond to you. I simply figured that it would be better to come down myself instead of talking with you through the flames," Setsuna responded quietly. 

"That's fine, all that matters is that you are here now. I have some very important questions to ask you, and I need to know now!" Rei said, ushering her inside the temple. 

Sliding the door open, Rei walked to the middle of the room, hands on her hips, with a determined air about her. Spinning around suddenly to face Setsuna, she started in. 

"So, where is Usagi? Why did the monster come after her? Where did it come from?" Rei spoke, her voice rising higher with each sentence. "How can we get her back? What is to become of her? What is to become of us? Why…" Her voice faltered, growing soft. "Why did she go? Is she… is she dead?" Rei asked quietly, on the verge of tears. Violet eyes, full of desperate hope, met crimson orbs. Setsuna slowly walked towards Rei, who stood in the center of the room, violet eyes now downcast. Rei's shoulders slumped, and a muffled sob came from her. Setsuna now stood in front of the girl, and as Rei tried to muffle another heart wrenching sob, the guardian of time gathered the priestess in her arms. 

"Shhh… let it all out… I know how you feel," Setsuna said softly. Rocking back and forth holding the sobbing girl in her arms, she slowly stroked Rei's soft, silken hair, and tried to soothe the cries that escaped from Rei. _Poor girl… _Pluto thought. _She hasn't allowed it all to truly settle in yet… I know exactly how she feels… _

~~~~~~~ Some time later… ~~~~~~~

Rei had stopped crying some time ago, and again asked Setsuna about Usagi. She had responded that all questions would be answered as soon as the others arrived, and though the Shinto priestess was not satisfied with that reply, she had to wait. One by one, the other senshi filed into the room, all confessing that they had felt something, and all became shocked when they saw Setsuna in the room. Eventually, all of the girls came, every one pestering her for answers to questions it seemed only she could answer. Each girl sat down at the low table and settled down on their respective cushions. After Setsuna was seated, everyone started speaking at once, demanding to be heard. Setsuna simply sat with an impassive expression, waiting for the babble to die down. As everyone realized the crimson-eyed woman wasn't speaking, they all quieted down and waited for her to start.

Setsuna looked around the table, making eye contact with each girl. Finally, she spoke, and with a tone that commanded the attention of the room, began to explain. 

"I know each of you grieve the loss of Usagi. She was a friend to all of us, and touched more lives than she, or any of us, can comprehend. We all want her back – she seems the only answer to the confusion that reigns on this planet, the only steady beacon of light to guide us through our lives. And she remains that… our memories of her are still fresh in our minds, and we will never forget her. However, there is a problem. Each of you want her back – but she had made a new life for herself in another world, and while still the same girl, she is no longer Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity, nor Neo-Queen Serenity. She retains no memories of her past life, and I am sure if anyone told her of the events, she would **not **believe them, and even if she did, I doubt she would want to come back," Setsuna paused, looking around the table again. Everyone looked faintly guilty, and all eyes were averted from the piercing gaze of the green haired woman. 

"A monster came, claiming she was Galaxia's minion. I suppose somehow the monster had not known of the separation of Chaos and Galaxia, and thought they were one and the same. The news of the death of Chaos must have reached the youma somehow, and she must have confused Chaos and Galaxia. Youma's swear loyalty to the very end. After all, that is what they are created for, to serve their masters and no others. Though how that particular youma managed to track down Usagi is still a mystery, even to me. I do know what that monster must have felt when she heard Chaos was gone… The one she served, the one she loved… Every triumph creates those who vow revenge after being beaten… There is never complete success, even in the best-fought battles. Surely all of you must have realized that by now. That youma is evidence of it, don't you think?" Setsuna stopped again, and remained quiet this time, waiting for other questions to pop up. However, everyone remained silent, pondering her words. 

__

I wish I didn't have to lie to them like that… Setsuna thought to herself_. But it's for their own good… hopefully. _ Suddenly, Ami broke the silence. 

"Usagi is gone from this world… but why? And how? I thought she was destined to become Queen of the Silver Millennium? What about that? If the world is thrown into a deep sleep, or frozen, or stopped somehow, who will come and awaken it again?" Ami asked quietly.

"Yes, we must go and retrieve her from the world she lives in now!!" Minako insisted. "We need her here! We have to go and convince her to come back!"

The guardian of time listened to their statements with a calm expression, and spoke again. "But don't you see? What have I been trying to say? She leads a new life – new friends, new family, no one bound to her by destiny, free to make her own choices! You could never convince her to leave all that and come back to a life she doesn't remember! And even if she somehow did remember… would she want to come back? Think of it this way. Who among you would want to go back to a life where you had been forced into everything by something called destiny, and destiny had veered off the course everyone wanted and onto another? Hurting you, hurting your friends, breaking your heart? No, Usagi would definitely not want to come back." 

As Setsuna stopped speaking, Makoto broke in. "She may not remember us, but we should still be able to try and convince her. Can you send us there? To where she now lives? There has to be a way you could do it!" 

The green haired princess gazed upon the senshi of Jupiter with sympathy in her eyes. _Their obviously not listening. I guess the only way to set their minds at relative ease is for them to se what I mean._ She sighed at the upcoming task. "Perhaps… there might be a way…" she trailed off. 

For the first time since the other girls had come in, Rei said something. "Setsuna… one last question… why did it happen? How could it happen? I always thought we were going to have everything… the Silver Millennium… Crystal Tokyo… Chibi-Usa… how could destiny change so?"  
"Rei… destiny… the future… everything ahead is very prone to even the slightest difference in the time stream. And if that small difference exists, everything could change completely. The winds of fate are easily blown off course, and that is exactly what happened. I have almost no control over what goes on in the continuation of time. You understand?" she said gently. 

Rei nodded as she absorbed the information. Speaking up again, she asked Pluto about going to the alternate universe where Usagi now resided. "Can you do it?"

Setsuna sighed again as she nodded. "I'll do it. But you have to promise not to force her into anything. Alright? She is happy now, and I don't want to see that ruined for her." Looking around the table, each girl nodded their agreement. "Ok then, let's go," Setsuna said, standing up. With a burst of green light, she transformed, and as the other girls did likewise, she formed a portal to the gate using the time staff. She stood next to it, waiting for the other girls to enter the swirling gray void. "Come now. We have much to do."

~~~~~ At the time gate ~~~~

Pluto stood in front of the time gate, waiting for the girls to collect themselves. As they quieted down, she started to brief them on what type of culture they were entering, what people were used to, what they should dress like, look like, and act like. Most of it was quite simple – there was pretty mush the same style of clothing, dress, speech, and magic was known and accepted there. People were still wary of it, but it was part of their lives. The only main difference was that technology was much more advanced. When Pluto tried to explain the concept of portable cars and other objects, stored in tiny capsules, she only got more blank looks, even from Ami. _There was something I never predicted… Ami not understanding! _A small smile worked its way onto Pluto's features at that thought. 

"Well, do you all understand? And remember; don't force her to come! That would be the worst possible thing to do! Your time limit is… two weeks. Remember where the portal dropped you off, and report back there. Got it? Oh yea, and you will be living in Rumu Apartments, room 276," Pluto said, pressing identical room keys into each girls hands. 

"How did you manage that?" Mercury questioned, curious.

"I'll keep my secrets and you keep yours, ok?" Pluto replied, winking. "Oh, and girls, don't forget to detransform once you get there. Its not that people wouldn't take kindly to girls in short skirts… It's just that they might take too kindly."

The girls nodded in unison, and with a wave of her staff, Pluto opened the time gate. The girls linked arms and were about to step into the gate, when Mars stopped short. 

"Wait Pluto! How are we supposed to know where to find Usagi?"

"Don't worry! She will find you! Now go!" Pluto replied, and as the girls nodded and stepped through the time gate, she closed it gently behind them. _Now, hopefully, they won't do anything too stupid… Poor girls. They have all been through so much, so young… If only… But no. There is no way to turn back time. _

Well, how do you like it? I told you I would have updates more often! Don't worry, I am going to have more Usagi in the next chapter. I just had to get the whole senshi angle. And thanks so much for all the great reviews! I've gotten 50 for my story so far! Love you all!

Spirit of cosmos

****


	6. Arrival??!!

Standard disclaimer

Standard disclaimer – actually, if you want a disclaimer, look at the previous chapters. I don't feel like writing one out for this.

Oh yea, and peoples, please be nice! I know next to nothing about the Japanese schooling structure, so I am simply going to make it incredibly westernized!

( p.s. – anyone with inf. on the structure please email me at [spirit_of_cosmos@hotmail.com!][1])

Got some Japanese words in this one!:

Bento – lunch box – the presentation is very important and its considered nice to share it.

Chan – ending suffix usually used only with girls and their close friends – used affectionately

Fuku – literally, clothing – used to describe the uniform the senshi wear

Hai - yes

Thanks goes to Immora for the definitions!

Chapter 5 – Arrival??!!

With a flash of brightly colored lights, four girls appeared in the middle of a small grove of trees.

"Wow," Venus sat down unceremoniously in the soft carpet of moss she was standing on. "So guys, I'm guessing we're here?"

"According to my readings, we have arrived in dimension 784522, space and time coordinates all match up, the parameter alignment is in the correct alignment…" Mercury typed away at a small keyboard, reading the results that scrolled across her visor.

"Please Mercury, layman's terms?" Mars said, exasperated with the definitions, which meant nothing to the priestess.

Ami glanced over at the violet haired girl, and blushed as she realized her explanation had gone right over her friend's heads. "We have arrived."

"Come on Usagi!" A red haired girl called from across the wide, grassy lunch area.

"Coming Naru-chan!" A tow headed girl of nine skipped over the grass to her best friend in the whole fourth grade. "So, what did you bring today?"

Opening the lunch box, Naru proudly showed off the contents of her bento; sushi, carefully arranged in one corner of the box, rice, some snacks, and a strangely, brightly colored package.

"What's that?" Usagi pointed toward the foreign object nestled between the rice and the sushi in Naru's bento.

"Oh, its called a 'Fruit Roll Up,'" Naru explained. "My mom says its made in America."

"Really? What does it taste like?" Usagi asked, a curiosity evident in her features.

"I'm not sure. I've never had it before – today will be the first time I will have ever eaten it."

"Can I have some?" Usagi asked eagerly, always on the lookout for new food.

"Yes, but lets save it for dessert. What do you have?"

As Usagi opened her bento to show her friend all the food her mama had made for her, she felt a sudden power towards the east. Food forgotten, her head snapped up as she tried to pinpoint the exact location it came from.

In a fifth grade classroom located inside the building, a boy of 11 also felt the sudden power. Straightening up from the notes he had been taking, Trunks stared out the window overlooking the lunch area. He noticed Usagi had stood and was facing the east. _She must have felt it too. _He thought to himself, wondering what could have caused such a large disturbance.

A ruler snapped down on his desk, creating a loud, resounding smack that echoed throughout the classroom, drawing the attention of the other students. Trunks looked up into the face of his sensei, cringing as he saw the expression on her face.

"Kindly explain, Briefs, why it is you are more interested in what's going on outside than what is going on inside your classroom?"

"Go-gomen nasai, sensei," Trunks spluttered as he realized that his teacher was waiting for an explanation. "I was simply… ummm…"

"Yes, as I thought. Tonight I would like you to do pages 187 through 199, numbers 1-25."

Trunks breathed a sigh of relief at the low number of problems the teacher had assigned him. That look was quickly wiped off his face as his teacher added more to the assignment.

"Numbers 1 – 25 on page 187. On page 188, numbers 1-19, on page 189, numbers 1 through 27, on page 190…"

Trunks groaned as he realized he wouldn't be able to have any time to investigate the sudden surge of power that had suddenly shown up in the east. _Well, I guess its all up to Usagi-chan now…_

Back in the lunch area, Usagi had now stood up and was staring intently to the east.

"What's wrong, Usa-chan?" Naru stood up as well, straining to see what Usagi was so obviously staring at. "What is it? I don't see anything…"

"Shhh…." Usagi said to her friend, bringing a finger up to her lips to hush her. "Someone's here. I have to go see what happened… Cover for me, Naru-chan?"

Naru looked at Usagi speculatively. "Well… I guess I will…"

"Thanks! You're the greatest!" Usagi enveloped her friend in a huge bear hug, practically crushing her.

"Umm- Usa – I – really can't breathe too well when your crushing the life out of me…" Naru choked out, her face gaining a rather bluish tint as a result of being the recipient of a hug from Usagi.

"Sorry, didn't mean to. I really should watch my strength, shouldn't I?"

"That's…" Naru said in between breaths, "that's really an understatement there Usa-chan…"

Usagi giggled at Naru, and as she began to sprint across the grass, called back over her shoulder, "Oh, and by the way, you can have the rest of my lunch! And tell Trunks I went searching! He will understand!"

"Right…" Naru said to herself, not bothering to yell back at Usagi's swiftly retreating figure. "Like she would be able to hear me anyway…" Naru sighed in defeat, and sat back down to eat her lunch.

"We're here! Yes! Now we can get Usagi, and our job here will be done!" Jupiter crowed triumphantly.

"Remember Jupiter, we can't force her to come back," Mars said quietly. "Remember what Pluto said?"

"Hai… No forcing… but she will have to remember! We will just sit her down and explain the situation, and try to make her understand," Venus said quickly.

"Perhaps here she will be more mature, and listen to what we will say with a level head," Jupiter said.

Mercury quickly jumped to Usagi's defense. "You know, Usagi was mature for her age. She may not have acted like it all the time, but she could act very adult when she wanted to."

"I agree with Mercury," Mars responded quietly. "I may have teased Usa-chan, but if you looked inside her eyes, you could tell that she has gone through a lot. So many things have aged her, and if she truly bared her soul, anyone would feel like she had gone through more than her share of hard times in her life."

The four girls faced each other quietly, a look of somber understanding passing between them. Suddenly, Mercury broke the ensuing silence with a small uncomfortable laugh. "You know guys, we should really get out of our fuku. People here have likely never heard of the Sailor Senshi, and we are bound to get strange looks if we walk out of here and into civilization looking like this."

Each girl nodded, and in a flurry of lights, changed back into regular street clothes. "Alright, are we ready to go?" Minako asked, addressing the group as a whole.

A flurry of echoing positive responses, and seconds later, a group of four girls stepped out of the forest and into a hopefully civilized world.

"Now, where did that energy come from?" Usagi said quietly to herself. She had been flying straight toward the energy that had suddenly appeared for about ten minutes, when it suddenly gone out, if you will. She had lost the beacon of energy that had caught her attention, and had been steadily cruising above a large section of virgin forest, populated only with white ash. The trees grew tightly together, and their interlocking branches covered anyone walking beneath them. It was definitely not helping Usagi search for the new power that had mysteriously manifested itself somewhere around, and was also definitely not helping Usagi's temper. Used to succeeding at (mostly) anything she tried her hand at, and quickly at that, the current situation was making Usagi get very annoyed and impatient, almost to the point of true anger.

"If I don't find those powers soon…. I'm gonna go Super Sayjin! That is, if I could go super sayjin… I need to learn that…" Usagi clenched her fist as she flew over the forest. Sparks were literally flying, and she was on the verge of conjuring up a ball of energy and destroying some trees when she saw a flash of color about 100 yards away in the forest. Her tension suddenly vanished as she grinned and veered toward what she had seen.

"Bingo," she muttered, excitement now coursing through her.

"You know Ami, didn't you say that we were going to walk into civilization a little while ago? Well… I believed you then… But look where we are now! Still in the middle of a freaking forest!" Minako cried out, and turned to face the senshi of Mercury questioningly.

"Ummm… yea, well this is a new dimension…. Maybe my equipment doesn't work the same here…"

"You mean maybe it doesn't work at all here," Rei muttered, swatting at a bug that buzzed around her head.

"Yea, well I would do another scan, but I'm afraid that I will simply get us more lost by trying that. Besides, we have already reverted back to our normal forms, and transforming again wouldn't be too smart. Lets just not worry about it and get back to the task of getting out of this forest," Ami explained, a small blush apparent on her delicate features.

"Mmmm… and I have the feeling that transforming attracts attention. When we are in our senshi forms, I think we exude energy. To a person trained to sense that kind of stuff, we would be veritable candles to a moth," Makoto spoke up. "Rei, can't you sense that kind of stuff?"

"Yea, I can actually. But usually its peoples auras and things like that. I would have to learn to focus my senses and locate powers that are far away from me," Rei confirmed Makoto's statement as she fought her way through some thorns. "I swear this forest has something against us. Those thorns are killer."

Her remark was met with resounding groans and deep sighs. "May as well keep going, and try not to think about our wonderful situation, right girls?" Minako said.

"Don't talk to me…" Makoto said, wincing as a tree branch came and hit her in the back of the head. "Ouch! Dammit!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ meanwhile ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Huiri Ayashi?"

"Here."

"Bakemono Sanosuke?"

"Here."

"Briefs, Usagi?" There was no response. The teacher raised his head and looked around the room. "Usagi?"

"Ummm… Ms. Moyoko… Usagi's mom came… and she took her away… for an appointment…" Naru struggled to piece together a reasonable sounding explanation for the teacher. "A dentist appointment…"

"Hmmm…wonder why she didn't notify me," the teacher mused. "They should have rescheduled or something…"

"It was urgent…" Naru said quickly.

"Urgent, huh?" Ms. Moyoko raised an eyebrow at her red headed student. "Must have been some cavity…"

"Yea…" Naru laughed nervously, sweatdrops rolling down her face.

"Well, onto the lesson…."

"Not again! My skirt is going to be in tatters by the time we get out of here!" Rei yelled at a wayward thorn that had gotten caught in her skirt.

"Rei… it's ok, we will find a way out eventually," Minako placed a comforting hand on Rei's shoulder, trying to calm her.

"Minako, give it up. I don't thing Rei…" Ami trailed off as her eyes widened and her jaw dropped at the sight in front of her.

"You were saying, Ami?" Makoto asked tiredly, and looking up at her blue haired friend, stopped dead at what she saw. Minako was plodding along slowly behind Makoto, not looking where she was going, and so was unprepared when the senshi of Jupiter stopped.

"Makoto, why did you…" Minako stopped talking as she realized why all progress had halted.

"You know guys, the sooner we - " Rei fell silent at the sight of a nine year old, blond haired girl, hovering about a foot in the air in front of their small group.

"Having a hard time getting out of here?" the new girl asked in a quiet voice, gracing them all with a small smile. "You sure look it."

Four girls gasped as she went on. "My name is Son Usagi, and I live around here. I know these forests like the back of my hand… Well, maybe not the back of my hand…" Usagi landed in front of the group.

"Usagi… Usagi?" Rei asked, stumbling over the name.

"Yea… that's my name… what's yours?"

Well, what did you guys think? I know, weak ending and all, and I apologize for all grammatical and spelling errors, as always. And oh yea, if I used any words wrong (Japanese ones, that is) please tell me. Remember, r/r! Or you won't get any of these wonderful brownies I just made? What? You're scared of my cooking? Yea, so am I… don't worry, these are store bought anyway…

Spirit of Cosmos

   [1]: mailto:spirit_of_cosmos@hotmail.com!



	7. Impossible

part6again Standard Disclaimer – I own Sailor Moon and all related characters. You though I was serious? Ok then, if I had any drawing ability at all, then I would be off creating my own series, not writing about one.   


Chapter 6 – Impossible 

"Usagi… Usagi?" Rei asked, stumbling over the name.   
"Yea… that's my name… what's yours?"   
"Oh… my name is Rei, Hino Rei," the miko stood agape, staring at her former princess, turned little girl with a wrong last name. That should be Tuskino, not Son… Tuskino… She thought in shock, not able to process what she had just been told.   
"What's your name?" Usagi was currently standing in front of Makoto, one hand on a hip, waiting expectantly for an answer.   
"Kino Makoto," she replied in a low whisper, not believed who stood in front of her. Well, at least her first name is still Usagi… But… oh, what happened?   
Usagi turned to Minako and Ami, and asked, "What are your names?"   
"I'm Mizuno Ami, and this is Aino Minako," the blue haired girl said, covering for the princess of Venus, who was looking slightly, to say the least, stunned. Ami guessed Minako would not have been able to say a thing to this incarnation of their best friend, and on top of that, the shock of Usagi's surprising entrance… Flying down, or falling down, or however she got down, scaring them out of their wits… Wait…Ami thought, not quite believing her eyes. Where are her odangoes? Why is her hair in a braid? She always… Ami's observation was true – Usagi's odangoes were a thing of the past – a thing of a past life, to be more exact. To her former friends, Usagi looked so different… So changed, almost naked without her ever-present odangoes.   
Minako stood in a daze, taking in Usagi's appearance. Some part of Venus' brain was surely cool, calm, and collected, but the rest of her cranium had been thrown into chaos. Anarchy reigned supreme as Minako looked Usagi over – her hair was different. It was still long, but the odangoes were nowhere to be seen. Instead, a braid hung over one shoulder, reaching down to mid thigh. She was not 16 anymore; this little girl looked about eight or nine, nowhere near the age she had been in the Sailor Moon universe. Her sparkling blue eyes were the same, still had the familiar old light of trust and love shining though. But her odangoes were… And to top it all off, it seemed that their former princess had learned to fly! A few moments ago, Usagi had jumped up a few feet in the air, and decided that she didn't want to come down anytime soon. She had been flying for what seemed like ages now, and was currently looking at the four girls with an odd expression on her face.   
"What, you guys never seen anyone fly before?" Usagi joked, a smile on her face. Abruptly, the Makoto straightened and gave her an odd look, before turning to the others and announcing in what seemed like a falsely cheery voice that everyone had better stop staring. The other girls snapped out of their stupor and all began to talk at once, to each other, to Usagi, to the tree next to them. They could have answered many questions they had quite easily if they had been able to put some of their senseless babble into coherent speech, but none was forthcoming. Realizing it would be hopeless to try and talk to them, at least for the moment, Usagi closed her eyes and floated silently on her back. The minutes wore on, and the former princess's patience wore thin.   
"Hey!!" Four head snapped around and faced Usagi, a guilty expression evident in their eyes.   
"Gomen nasai, but we were, uh, wondering-" Rei stuttered, only to be cut off by Makoto.   
"Yea, could you tell us - ?" she started out, only to be drowned out by Minako, who started in on the senseless babble once again. Ami was the only one who didn't speak, though she looked like she desperately wanted to break into the conversation. Usagi guessed that Ami was either really smart or really shy to not involve herself in the jumble of words and nuances the other three girls were currently involved in.   
"You guys really need to calm down," Usagi muttered. Neither Rei, Minako, nor Makoto seemed to take notice of her quiet observance, but Usagi glimpsed Ami smiling out of the corner of her eye. Usagi turned to Ami, and said with rather comedic seriousness, "They never learned, did they?"   
"Nope," the senshi of Mercury responded with a small giggle.   
"Maybe if we leave them alone they will come out of it," Usagi suggested, a spark of mischief dancing in her eyes.   
"Only one way to find out," Ami said. "Lets do it."   
The three other girls didn't realize that two members of their group had disappeared until Rei turned to Usagi to pepper her with more questions. The three senshi had been so involved in some non sensical* argument that they hadn't even realized when the two girls had walked off in another direction. Rei looked around the empty forest, and realized that they were alone.   
"Come on guys, we're not gonna wait here all day!" Usagi called impatiently. Her and Ami had almost disappeared in the foliage and kept on walking, not waiting for the others.   
"Coming!" Makoto was the first to gather her wits and race after the two, uttering a hurried "lets go!" to Minako and Rei, who soon followed suit and ran to catch up.   
"Now, I have just one question for you – where did you come from?" Usagi asked curiously. The energy readings I'm getting are like no others! I can hardly get any readings at all! If I didn't know better, I would say they were on the verge of death, Usagi thought, amazed. But their outward appearances belied the readings she got; each girl had rosy cheeks, a sparkle in their eyes, and seemed in good condition. The girls were in the middle of a dense forest, right around where I had sensed those power levels coming from. There was no one else within a 50 mile radius, aside from the animals that live here. It had to be them! But there was no possible way it could have been… Unless they are very good at hiding power levels. And what was that odd look I got when I flew down? There were many puzzles that surrounded those girls, and Usagi was determined to find out all the answers.   
"Well," Rei started out after a pause, "we travel around a lot, and somehow we ended up in the middle of this forest," Rei explained. The miko felt uncomfortable lying to her former princess, but justified her actions with the thought that it was only a half lie. "Could you by any chance tell us what region we are in?"   
"Well, this is the Black Forest, and you are in Japan, of course. So you don't have anywhere to stay? Or did you come here to visit someone? Why are you here?"   
"Well, we like to call it… ummm… research…" Ami began, racking her brain for a suitable explanation. "Yea, see we travel all over researching different towns and cities and things, and we must have taken a wrong turn on the map or something. We tried to find the fastest way here, but it was as the crow flies, I suppose. Anyway, we aren't really visiting anyone, just conducting our research," Ami finished, proud of herself for coming up with the story.   
"Oh, I see… sorta," Usagi said, giving Ami a blank look. "But you need a place to stay? You can stay at my house! Or at least at Bulma's. Either way, it's a good deal. So how about it?" Usagi asked, looking around the group expectantly. There was a moment of silence before Rei broke in.   
"I don't know about you guys, but it sounds good to me!" Rei said.   
"Yea, I don't think we are gonna get a better offer than that. I say lets go for it," Minako agreed, a smile upon her face.   
"I don't want to intrude on anything… Would your parents mind?" Ami asked, always the polite one.   
"My mom will be fine with it. As for intruding, not in the least. It'll be fun to have you guys around. So do you want to stay or not?" Usagi asked, a grin on her face.   
"If you insist," Makoto joked. "I think we should do it girls."   
"Ok, if your sure your mom won't mind."   
"Stop worrying! My mom will love you! But there is one thing," Usagi paused, glancing around the group. "I do not want to traipse through this forest. Its fun for a little bit, but I swear this forest has a mind of its own. It seems determined to keep people wandering around in it for days – a rather morbid sense of humor, I guess. So we are going to do something that will get us out of here a lot faster," Usagi announced. "Everyone has to hold on to me tight, and don't let go, k?"   
"What exactly are we doing again?" Makoto asked uncertainly.   
"Well, it's called 'instant transmission.' I just learned it a few weeks ago, so we might not go exactly where we are supposed to at first. But it's either that or walking, so make your choice."   
"I'm not exactly certain about this, but I trust you," Rei said with a small smile, and placed her hand on Usagi's shoulder.   
"Yea, I think I will take my chances with you," Minako agreed, putting her hand on Usagi's back. "Just be careful with us – 'instant transmission' sounds… well, I've never done it so..."   
"Don't worry, just hold onto me and you should be ok," Usagi reassured the blond.   
"I'm with you – I think I understand 'instant transmission,'" Ami quietly spoke up. "Its sort of like taking your molecules, combining them with electrons to make a force field-" Ami stopped talking as she realized she was getting blank looks again. "Yea, lets just go."   
"If everyone else is going, I'm in too. Let's do it," Makoto nodded, placing her hand in one of Usagi's.   
"Is everyone ready?" Usagi asked, glancing up at the faces of her newly met friends. At the chorus of affirmative responses, she nodded to herself and closed her eyes. Mom… Focusing on her mothers energy, she felt power swirling around her, gathering about her form. Feeling herself flicker in and out of being, she opened her eyes, seeing the forest melt around her, giving way to a blaze of…   
colors   
  
images   
memories   
  
beauty 

She wanted to scream, to laugh, to cry, to fly into the kaleidoscope of feeling, that ethereal, lovely void, filled with so much. Whenever she worked with her new transmission technique, she felt this, this instantaneous, eternal… words could not describe the… ecstasy… Usagi felt alone, felt surrounded, could feel gusts of wind whipping past her, could feel a gentle ray of sun caressing her features, could hear the voices of the water whispering to her, could taste the heartbeat of the earth, of the planets… A harmony filled her mind, at once melodic and chaotic… This was the universe.   
And then it was gone, and she was standing outside of her mother's house, and she remembered her friends. Immediately she turned to look and make sure they were all there, still fine. Everyone was still there, identical expressions of ecstasy and terror and joy and…   
"You saw it too, right?" Usagi asked softly. Ami turned to look at her, blue eyes meeting blue, both filled with emotions that were indescribable. The only response from the blue haired girl was a soft sigh, so quiet it was almost inaudible.   
"Usagi…" Rei whispered. "That was…"   
"Everything," Minako broke in. "I could understand it all… it was like a million voices at once… like…"   
"Wind that promised the unattainable, clouds that can reach down and cradle you in their arms," Makoto finished, a gentle smile hovering on her lips.   
"Its always like that," Usagi spoke quietly. "Seductive, enticing, bewitching…"Usagi trailed off, gazing up into the blue sky for a moment before turning on her heel and walking into the house. The four other girls followed silently, lost in the images that were still fresh in their minds.   


What do you guys think? I like it (mostly), what about you. Oh yea, and in the last chapter… I didn't mean the name mix up! I swear it! I'm sorry! But now you have something to read that (hopefully) doesn't have any mistakes, so review and tell me what you think! K? Thanks! 

Spirit of Cosmos   



	8. Interesting Conversation

Disclaimer

Disclaimer : I don't own Sailor Moon, or Dragon Ball Z, or any other major Japanese animation storyline or characters. OK??!! Don't make me cry! I don't feel like talking about it!

Chapter 7 – Interesting Conversation

As the girls trotted into the house after Usagi, a circle of unfamiliar faces met them. A green alien, another man with black hair vaguely reminiscent of a candle flame, and a cyclops? – no, wait, they had one eye, while this man had three. A fourth man with cropped black hair and a scar across one eye sat in a reclining chair, half asleep, and a fifth, younger looking man leaned against the wall, gravity defying spiky black hair, dressed in what looked like an orange jumpsuit. The latter greeted Usagi with a wave and a smile, while the others nodded or muttered a quiet greeting.. 

"Usagi! Why are you home so early?" the one in the orange jumpsuit asked, frowning at his little sister.

"Gohan! Why are you home at all?" Usagi replied, mimicking his serious tone. She ran over to give him a hug, and greeted everyone else with a 200 watt smile. "Come to think of it, why is everyone else here? I mean, usually we are all only together if something bad happened, so what is it this time?"

"Well…" Gohan reluctantly began to answer her question, when he suddenly spied her friends. "Wait, you haven't introduced me to your friends!"

"Gohan…" Usagi glared up at her brother, who looked quite pleased with himself. "Don't try to avoid the question." She was about to drill him some more when her mother walked into the room, distracting Usagi enough so that her brother could escape. 

"Usagi! Why are you home early?" Chi-Chi asked, raising an eyebrow and her voice in question.

"Well mom, I was outside for lunch, and… errr… I met these girls."

"So why haven't we been introduced before? Where do you girls live?"

"That's what I've been meaning to ask you, mom. They don't exactly… have a place to stay, and so, I invited them to stay with us! So can they?" Usagi stood in front of her mother, a puppy dog expression evident on her face. "Pleeeeeease?" Usagi tried to look as helpless and cute as she possible could, hoping it would play on her mother's maternal instincts. Chi-Chi looked at her only daughter with a frown on her face, and then smiled. 

"Usagi, you should know that I would never let anyone go without a place to stay. Of course the girls can stay here! But we do have company, so all of them will have to squeeze into your room."

"Sure, no problem mom!" Usagi chirped, and beckoning to the girls, flew down the hallway to her room. The girls followed, throwing wide eyed glances over their shoulders at the people in Usagi's kitchen.

"Well, her mom seems alright, but who are the rest of them?" Makoto whispered to Rei. 

"No clue. Usagi should be able to fill us in," Rei whispered back, turning into a doorway and entering a large room. Pink filled the room – the wallpaper, the bedspread, the rug; everything down to the windowpanes were pink or white. 

"Jeez, I hate this room," Usagi muttered under her breath. 

"Did you say something?" Minako asked the younger blond. 

"No, just… well, this room sucks. I mean, its so… pink! I can't believe I ever liked this color! I'm too old for pink!"

"Wow, she really has changed," Ami said behind her hand to Minako, who nodded gravely in response to both Ami's and Usagi's statements. 

"You don't like pink?" Makoto asked tentatively, raising a slim eyebrow at Usagi's outburst. 

"Nope! Of course not! But let's not think about that for now. Where are you guys going to sleep?"

The next few minutes were spent figuring out sleeping arrangements and the layout of the house. Usagi was busy describing where the bathroom was, where the computer room was, where her moms bedroom was, where her brothers bedroom was (the other girls took a special interest in this, especially when she told them he was 19), and various other things. She was interrupted when Chi-Chi poked her head in the room and told them that dinner would be ready in 15 minutes.

As Usagi was laying out blankets, creating a makeshift bed on the floor, she was interrupted with a question. "Hey Usagi?" 

"Yea Makoto?"

"Who were the other people in your kitchen? I know who your brother is, but…" Makoto trailed off, looking at Usagi, waiting for an explanation.

"Oh, I didn't introduce you to them, did I? Gomen, gomen. Well, the green one is Piccolo, the short bald one is Krillin, the one with the spiky black hair - well, actually, there are two of them, come to think of it. Ok, the short one with spiky black hair is called Vegeta, and he is married to Bulma, but she isn't here right now. They have a son named Trunks who's two years older than me – he's really fun to play with, I'm pretty good friends with him. He has purple hair and blue eyes, and he…" Usagi began to drift off into her own little dream world, a smile on her face. She broke out of her reverie when Ami hesitantly cleared her throat, and continued, a blush evident. 

"The tall one with spiky black hair is named Gohan; he's my older brother, but you already met him. He was going out with this girl Videl, but I think they broke up. The one with three eyes is named Tien, he's pretty nice. The one with the short black hair is Yamcha, he used to go out with Bulma. But then Bulma got married to Vegeta, and they had Trunks, but I think I already told you about him. I think that's about it. Got it?"

The older girls simply stood with a blank look on their faces. Usagi's explanation had been so long winded and had included altogether too many details that it was practically impossible to understand Usagi. "Ummm… I think you'll just have to introduce us," Ami said, a rather apologetic smile on her face. 

"Sorry if you couldn't understand me. Sometimes I talk really fast, and I don't realize I'm doing it. Usually people don't understand me, either, so don't worry about it. Is everyone ready? Time to go meet the crew!" 

The four girls stood up hesitantly and followed Usagi out of the room. As they walked out of the almost annoyingly sugary sweet bedroom, Minako poked Rei and whispered, "I see she's still going after the older guys, huh?"

******

"Well, now everyone knows everyone, right? Good, good. Mom, what's for dessert?" 

"Usagi, slow down! You haven't even had dinner yet, and you already want to know what's for dessert?" Chi-Chi said, becoming exasperated. 

"Sorry, but you always make really good dessert!" Usagi said, defending herself. "As for your dinner," she went on, mumbling something about her mother's culinary expertise.

"Hey, I heard that!" Chi-Chi screeched from the kitchen.

"What?" Usagi called back, trying to sound as innocent as possible. A stifled giggle was heard from Ami, and as all eyes turned to her, she blushed, giggling again. Rei and Makoto joined in, and soon the whole table was laughing. 

"Piccolo! Your smiling!" a smiling Usagi pointed at the Namekian*, who frowned and looked the other way, trying to look as serious as possible, and failing miserably. 

"Alright everyone, that's enough, the food is here!" Chi-Chi announced, carrying a large platter. As she put it down in the center of the table, everyone reached for the lid, eager to get at the food. "Hey! No grabbing!" Chi-Chi scolded, swatting away any disobedient hands with a smile. "There's still more food to come! Would anyone like to help me carry it out here?" Chi-Chi looked around the table, focusing her intense gaze on her son and daughter. "Gohan, Usagi?"

Gohan and Usagi exchanged looks and regretfully stood up. "Hai, we will help you," Gohan spoke up, heaving a sigh. Glancing over at his sister, he walked into the kitchen, shaking his head. "I'm too old for this."

Ami leaned to her left, and whispering into Makoto's ear, said, "That's Gohan, right?" Makoto slowly nodded, a dreamy grin appearing on her features. 

"You know," Rei loudly announced, as she stood up, "I think I'll go help them. I'm sure that Chi-Chi {insert mumble about Gohan and perfectly built men} won't mind." 

"I'll help too!" Ami said, standing up and scurrying into the kitchen. 

"No, let me!" Makoto cried out, practically knocking over her chair in her hurry to help with the food. 

"Wait up, I can help too!" Minako sprang out of her seat and ran into the kitchen, eager to be atleast somewhere near Gohan. Needless to say, chaos ensued. The rest of the DBZ gang sat around the table in mute horror, wincing every time a pan crashed to the floor, turning their faces away when a yell was heard. However, there was a good side to the whole escapade – dinner was on the table in record time, thanks to the multiple helpers. 

When the older girls, Usagi, Gohan, and Chi-Chi were finally seated, Yamcha piped up with a question. "Were you guys… ok in there? I mean, it sounded like a bull in a china shop or something in there."

"We are fine, Yamcha. We just had a slight problem with… maneuvering," Chi-Chi said, a odd expression on her face. "Girls, thank you for your help, but I would have been fine with just Usagi and Gohan."

"Oh, it was our pleasure," Minako said cheerfully, oblivious to the world. "So, what exactly did we bring out here to eat, anyway?"

As everyone dug in, Usagi turned to her mother and asked, "So why is everyone here again?"

"Well, Gohan, why don't you explain?"

"Ok," Gohan agreed, and began to talk. "You see, earlier this afternoon, we all felt a strange power emitting from somewhere in the vicinity of the Black Forest, and though it has been a while since we have had any new enemies, I decided to call a meeting, just to be on the safe side."

"You know, Gohan," Chi-Chi pointed out, always the logical one, "How large were the ki's? I would like to know what you guys will be going up against, if you don't mind."

"Well, that's what is so odd about these. Really, the power was quite small compared to mine, or Vegeta's, so ordinarily I wouldn't have worried about it. But the signature was something completely foreign. And I don't mean from the other side of the Earth, or even from any surrounding planets. I have felt plenty of ki's in my years, and though I'm young, I can still tell what ki comes from what planet, or from what solar system. And believe me, these powers were like nothing I had ever felt. It was almost as if… as if someone, or something else was supplying them energy."

"Them?" Chichi raised a slim eyebrow in question. 

"Yea, it didn't seem like there was only one being. The powers were so different from the other, and though they were all grouped closely together, I could tell there were more than one."

"I counted four." Heads turned as Usagi unexpectedly spoke. 

"You felt it too?" Gohan asked curiously. 

"Yea, I'm not four anymore. I can do more than fly," Usagi said contemptuously, rolling her eyes at her big brother. 

"She's right, Gohan. I counted four too," Tien said quietly.

"So did I," Yamcha added. 

Piccolo nodded his assent, and Vegeta followed, giving a grunt as his way of agreeing. 

"I guess there were four then," Gohan spoke up, not noticing Usagi roll her eyes yet again. 

Usagi leaned towards Ami, and whispered behind her hand, "He's such a dope sometimes."

"But the weird thing was how they all disappeared. The powers, that is. They were there, clear as day, for ten minutes at the most," Gohan continued. "And then, they were gone. Just like that. And as hard as I tried, I couldn't figure out where they went."

"Well, I don't think we are going to figure out anything while we are eating. The food is simply too distracting," Yamcha put in, and dug into his food in earnest. 

Meanwhile, the four sailor senshi sat fidgeting in their chairs, exchanging uneasy glances with each other when they thought no one else was looking. Feeling rather nervous, to say the least, at being the inadvertent subject of the conversation, they played with their food and stayed, at least what they hoped, was inconspicuously silent. 

Desperate to steer the conversation away from the topic, Minako jumped into the discussion and started babbling nonsense, taking up as much time as humanly possible. When she ran out of things to say, she promptly asked to be excused from the table, saying she had eaten too much and was stuffed. Complimenting Chi-Chi on her cooking skills as she ran down the hall, she sent an almost imperceptible signal to the other sailor senshi to follow. One by one, the 16-year-olds excused themselves, giving on excuse or another in order to meet Minako in Usagi's bedroom. 

"Guys," Minako started, "Do you think that they know-"

"Hey minna! I figured that I shouldn't be impolite and leave you all, so I excused myself and came!" Usagi burst into the room, a smile on her face. 

"Oh, you shouldn't have worried about it," Rei reassured Usagi. "We would have been fine ."

"Ok, good. Then you won't mind if I run back out to the kitchen to get some dessert?" Usagi said hopefully. "Mom made something, and it smells really good, but she won't tell me what it is! Do you guys want any?"

"Sure, get us all some," Ami piped up from the back of the room.

"Alright then, I'll be right back!" Usagi announced happily, and raced out of the room. The four girls waited for a few moments, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do you think she heard me say anything?" Minako asked worriedly, a frown on her face. 

"No, don't worry about it. What I think we should worry about is the conversation that we just heard at the table!" Makoto said, shaking her head.

"Do you think anyone suspects?" Rei asked, raking her hair off of her forehead. 

"I hope not," Ami said, massging her temples. "But the chances of someone figuring it out are very high, if not astronomical!"

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Minako groaned, and flopped down on the bed.

"What can't be that bad?" 

"Usagi! We were just talking about Minako's crush. She is head over heels in love with the boy, and she doesn't think that he knows she exists," Ami said quickly, covering for Minako.

"Oh, I see. Who is the boy?" Usagi asked, a sly grin on her face. "Wait! Before you tell me, does anyone want some Pocky? Whatever mom made turned out burned. Usually she makes pretty good dessert, but… I dunno, it must be because Gohan had to help her. He must have messed up or something."

"Sure, we'll all take some, thanks," Rei said, holding her hand out for some of the chocolate covered candy. 

"Now, what were you saying about a crush, Ami?"

*******

Outside the doorway, someone began to slowly sneak away, a grim smile on their face. 

"I knew it. I knew it."

Well? What do you think? And look, it's longer!!! Weeeeee!!! Anyway, I better get some more reviews, or you all shall die by my hand! Yes, I shall strike you down from my fictional universe, where I am the supreme ruler of the world!!! Sorry bout that, got off on another tangent, didn't I? Oops... ANYWAY, please review more, I'll love you forever! Mwahahahaha!


	9. Kind Accusations

Disclaimer

Disclaimer : I don't own Sailor Moon, or Dragon Ball Z, or any other major Japanese animation storyline or characters. OK??!! Don't make me cry! I don't feel like talking about it!

Chapter 8 – Kind Accusations

Usagi sat silently nestled in the corner of the window. She glanced up to the night sky for a moment, before returning to her apparent study of the wood grain in the window frame. In truth, she was mulling over the conversation she had overheard just that night. 

::::::Flashback::::::

Usagi paused just outside her room. She had excused herself right after the older girls had left the table, and followed. Usagi was just setting herself up for a prime eavesdropping position when Chi-Chi had come down the hall. The blond immediately stood up and raced into her room, praying her mother wouldn't notice, and luckily, the black haired woman had gone straight past. _Darn! And right when Minako was about to say something important, too! _Of course, when she was faced with the questioning faces of the girls, she immediately pasted on a happy smile and asked something about dessert. She had to give them a chance to finish their conversation. Excusing herself from her room, she literally flew down the hallway into the kitchen, grabbed a box of something that caught her eye, not even glancing at what it was. Speeding back, she came to a silent halt in front of her door and hovered there, waiting for the conversation to pick up. She had hardly missed anything, being gone only a few seconds, and it seemed the conversation had picked up where it left off. 

:::::::End Flashback:::::::::

I knew that they were the source of those powers. I **knew** it.

"But what am I supposed to do about that?" Usagi spoke out loud, addressing the stars in a quiet voice. "It wouldn't hurt if someone found out. In fact, it wouldn't hurt at all. I doubt anyone would harm the girls – after all, it isn't as if their power is evil. But still, I would feel guilty if I told someone. I know that they mean to keep it a secret, but what harm can it do if only the gang knows?" Usagi turned over the concept in her head for a few moments, and then shook her head, discarding the idea. "I know what to do. I'll ask Trunks. He can give me advice."

Usagi nodded her head sagely, agreeing with her statement. _Of course, that also means I get to see him again… Tomorrow is Saturday, so that means we can hang out! _

"I'm hopeless, I really am," Usagi said, grinning. And with that, she silently rose from the window, and in a flash, stood in her room. 

"Instant transmission rocks!" She murmured to herself, picking up a red jacket laying across her chair. Slipping it on, she glanced out her window in the direction of Trunks' house. "Midnight rendezvous, here I come!"

He sat in front of dying fire, slowly swirling the wine in his glass. Leaning back in the chair, he shook his head at his disgraceful behavior – with those new powers, no one could say for sure that a new enemy hadn't formed. _I should be out training, not inside relaxing, getting soft. _Standing up, he carefully placed the glass on the coffee table, and picked up his white cape from the adjacent chair. _I must train. There's no telling when they will reveal to everyone their powers, and I'm not sure what side they will be on. _ Knowing who was the keeper of the powers made no difference – they had a system which allowed them to totally cloak their power, and when there were no power readings, there was no way to find out the details of their energy. 

Those four girls… Of course they just happened to be in the neighborhood of the Black Forest, right around the area where the powers emitted. And isn't it strange that they all paled when mention of the powers were made. Smirking at how obvious the girls were, he opened the door and headed out into the night air. _And that conversation they had in Usagi's room… I know they couldn't have known that I have superb hearing, bit really, did they have to be so loud? Even a pathetic sayjin like Vegeta should have heard them, but apparently he was too interested in talking about the situation, instead of paying attention to his surroundings. _

I know Usagi heard them – she was right outside her door the whole time. She probably knew from the start – smart girl for her age, he thought, a rare smile lighting up his features at the thought of his star pupil. _It was interesting that she didn't say anything to anyone else, though. Covering for them, I'm guessing. Loyalty runs deep with that kid, even with people she just met. _Sighing, he began to detach his mind from the issue with Usagi's guests. Clearing his head of any stray thoughts, he began to float in midair, his cloak swaying gently in a sudden wind. As he sank into meditation, he felt himself become in tune with the energies of the earth, feeling a tiny spark ignite as someone used power for something unidentifiable. 

Usagi. I would know her energy anywhere. I do wonder what she is doing, though. Shrugging off the thought as unimportant; Usagi wouldn't be doing anything bad. Feeling himself begin to float higher into the air, he let himself go into the welcoming arms of the earth's energy. 

Usagi appeared in a flash of silver light, briefly illuminating Trunks room. As her eyes cleared, she looked over to the lump under a bunch of rumpled blankets. Spying a lock of purple hair under the corner of one blanket, she smiled and walked over to his bed, perching on a corner. Of course, she would have to be quiet – there was another sayjin in the house, and if he had hearing anything like Usagi or Trunks did, he would hear the tiniest movement. But at the moment, she didn't care – it wasn't like she was about the kidnap him or anything. 

"Trunks…" she whispered, letting the sound float across the air between them. Leaning over, she pulled down the blanket, revealing very sleepy Trunks rubbing his eyes and trying to wake up.

"Usa? That you?" he croaked, his voice reminding Usagi of a frog that had just lost its voice. Putting a finger to her lips, she silenced him with a wink and point in the direction of his parent's room. 

"Don't worry, my father went out drinking with Goku and the others, he won't be back for a while. Even if he does come home, he won't be in any condition to hear anything that we say. And mom… I doubt she would wake up if you yelled into her ear."

"Good," Usagi said, visibly relaxing. "I came here to ask you something – you felt that power today, right?"

"Yea, yea. Why, you know anything about it?"

"I guess you could say that. You know how the energy cut out after only a minute or two?"

"Yea…"

"Well, I know who the powers belong to."

"How could you? I checked out that area right after I got out of detention – don't ask – and I couldn't feel anything. No signatures, no left over residue, nothing!" 

"Yea, well, apparently they have very good cloaking systems or something like that, cause even when I found four girls in the area that the power came from-"

"Girls?!"

"Yea Trunks, don't be so chauvinist, you remind me of your dad."

"Chauvinist? Jeez, you read too much or something."

"**Anyway**, back to the original subject," Usagi glared at Trunks for a moment before continuing, "when I found four girls in the area that the power came from, I still couldn't feel anything at all from them. I mean, they had less energy than Bulma, I swear! But I had this feeling… To make a long story short-"

"That's a first," Trunks muttered to himself, cringing again under the assault of Usagi's glare.

"I brought them home, introduced them at dinner, then eavesdropped on a conversation that pretty much told me that they were the ones with the power, and then I came here to ask you what I should do. But anymore wisecracks from you and I think I will be leaving," she finished, giving him a look that dared him to say something else. 

"Gomen, gomen," he apologized, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Blame it on you waking me up at – what time is it?" he stopped, pausing to look at the clock. "2:48 in the morning. You know I won't be able to get back to sleep now." Fixing the blond in a stare of his own, she blushed but held her ground, never dropping her eyes. 

"Still… I did come here to ask your advice. Should I tell the others about the girl's identity? I think that Piccolo already suspects, but you know how clueless the others can be at times. But… it wouldn't hurt for the others to know – I doubt that they would hurt the girls – but I still…" pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ears, she sighed and shook her head. 

"I think that you should keep it to yourself. Let Piccolo be the one to let the cat out of the bag – I know that you hate the concept of telling on them, even if it isn't a bad thing to do. You could tell your friends that you know that they are the owners of those powers. It would clear up a lot of questions, and knowing you, you always have a lot of those," Trunks smiled at the small blush that appeared on Usagi's face, and reached over to put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry so much, 'k?"

"Yea, yea, don't worry about me…" she hesitated, and glancing out his window toward her house, realized she should be going. "Well, Trunks… I gotta go. I don't want my mom to find out I'm gone, though I doubt she will check on me at this hour." Getting up from Trunks bed, she looked to the lavender haired boy, and suddenly, jumped onto the bed to grab him in a tight hug. Backing away quickly, she walked over to the window, and with a last glance at the blushing boy, she flickered once, and was gone. 

Trunks, a goofy grin on his face, still gazed at the place she had stood. "Yea, well, you know…" Laying back on his bed, he put his hands behind his head, and silently wondered how he was going to get back to sleep. 

Ten minutes later, Trunks had fallen asleep, the silly grin still fixed on his face.

********

Next Morning…

"Breakfast is ready, Usagi!" A still snoring Usagi suddenly awoke, and jumped out of bed, the tantalizing smell of eggs and bacon greeting her nose. Rushing to the door, she almost tripped over the still snoozing form of Ami. 

"Oh yea, almost forgot they were here!" Usagi said to herself, and kneeling down next to the blue haired girl, she gently shook her awoke. 

"Ummmm… go away…" Ami gave a halfhearted swipe at the space near Usagi's head, and promptly began snoring. 

Giggling, Usagi shook Ami again, this time saying her name. "Ami… Ami…"

"Wha… Who…?" A very confused Ami sat up, looking around the room. "Where am I again?" Ami tensed as she saw Usagi. "Who… Oh yes, I remember! Usagi! And flying… And Gohan…" Blushing, she turned her head, surveying the room. "There they are," she said, spying the forms of the other girls under their respective blankets. "And… ooooh, what's that smell?" 

"Breakfast," Usagi stated, a grin spreading onto her features. "Come on, help me wake up the others."

"So guys, what do you want to do? Go outside, go visit Trunks, go get some more breakfast, go see Trunks – did I already say that?" 

"Well, since we already ate," Rei began, quirking an eyebrow at Usagi, "I think we should go outside and visit Trunks from there." Throwing a wink at Usagi, who was now blushing furiously, she turned to the other girls and asked for their approval. Needless to say, everyone gave consent, and in no time at all the girls were walking down a twisting pathway in the direction of Trunks' house. 

"I would do instant transmission, but the walk is really nice, and I think you guys will like it," Usagi explained, her face taking on an almost apologetic look.

"Don't worry about it," Minako said, smiling at the younger girl. "I'm sure we will like it too."

"Yea, but the thing is…" Usagi began, only to be cut off by the teenager once more. 

"Shush, don't say another thing," Minako flipped her hair out of her face, and with a determined look on her face, concentrated on the plant life surrounding them. 

"Don't say I didn't try to warn you…" Usagi muttered, and walked on with her friends.

After a few minutes of walking, the group was chattering like they were old friends. Which, in fact, was halfway true – I mean, look at whom we are talking about! After a little bit of boy talk mixed with an equal amount of girl talk, the subject of the 'Black Forest Powers' and they had now been named by Usagi, was brought up. The group of girls, who had been totally at ease with everything around them, suddenly fell silent as Usagi talked about it. 

"Really and truly, I don't think that the owners of those powers had anything to be afraid of. Their readings were really high, and I really didn't sense any evil coming from them. Who knows, they might have even been a good addition to our fighters," Usagi paused, sending a glance at each of the girls, now conspicuously silent. 

It was Rei who tried to break the ensuing silence by putting a hand behind her head, and nervously laughing. "Well, I can't say that we would know anything much about that, now, would we girls? But now that I think about it, it really was a coincidence that we were in the same area as those powers. Boy am I glad that – "

"Its ok, Rei. I know," Usagi said quietly, gauging the reactions to her words. Seeing the frightened faces of the girls, Usagi shook her head and spoke again. "Don't be scared of me – I mean, I'm only nine, and I wouldn't… couldn't hurt you anyway. I could never hurt my friends. But I do know that you are the keepers of those powers. I promise I won't tell anyone, and I doubt Trunks will either."

"Trunks – Trunks knows??!" Makoto nervously swallowed, and began wringing her hands. "How do you know that he won't tell anyone?" 

"He won't. I promise you that. I told him last night, and I made him swear to keep it a secret."

"Oh…" Ami whispered, half to herself, half addressing the others. "So you knew… all this time?"

"Yup!" Usagi said, grinning. At the sweatdrops that greeted her, she laughed and put a hand on her head. "Actually, no. But I did guess, and I knew by dinner. So, for most of the time, I knew."

"Well, no harm done, right?" Minako said. "I mean, Usagi, you said you wouldn't tell, and I believe you, and only Trunks knows, and since you probably have him wrapped around your little finger, he won't say a word either. And since you are the only two people that know, and you won't say anything… I guess its ok… yea…"

"Well… I'm not so sure if Trunks and me are the only ones who know…" Usagi hesitated, the apologetic look evident on her face again. 

"But I thought you said that you only told Trunks!" Ami protested.

"Yea, I did only tell him. It's just that I think Piccolo knows."

"You mean the green one?" Minako asked, a curious half smile on her face. "You know, he was kinda cute… If it hadn't been for the green… and the antennas…"

"This is no time for that, Minako," Rei said sharply. "Usagi, how would he know that we…"

"He is a Namek. He has **very** acute hearing, and he is quite in tune with his natural surroundings. Namek, in case your wondering, is a planet in the… its located… well, its far away," Usagi finished, becoming embarrassed as the fact became evident that she had no clue where the planet was located. "And if anyone could figure you guys out, he could. And I think he did. But its ok – I don't think Piccolo will tell anyone unless he sees fit. And I can't see why he would want to. Personally, I think he like leaving people in the dark," Usagi finished with a smile. The girls had taken it in stride that Piccolo was from another planet, but still couldn't get over the fact that someone else had found out their true identities. 

"Are you sure he won't tell anyone, Usagi?" Makoto question, a troubled look on her face. 

"Nope! But still… he's a good guy. Now cheer up!"

"Were we that obvious?" Rei murmured.

"Errr… To tell you the truth, guys, though you ate dinner with some of the greatest fighters in the universe, sometimes they can be really dense. Especially when it comes to figuring something out that is right under their nose. Just… if the subject of the powers is brought up again by them, try not to act so scared."

The girls absorbed what she had said, and, after a few moments of silence, Ami spoke up. "So, Minako, if you think that Piccolo was cute, does it mean that you don't like Gohan anymore?"

"Ami!!" Minako blushed and stuttered her way through and explanation. A few minutes afterward the conversation had drifted to another subject, the chatter becoming sparse as each girl thought about what Usagi had told them. 

"I just realized," Minako said, still walking down the winding path. "We have been on this path for a while. Are we close yet?"

"Well, I tried to tell you… but, you kinda wouldn't let me… this path is about 7 miles long…"

"What?!" Minako yelled. "How many miles have we walked!??!!?" 

"Approximately two point three miles, so far. If we keep up this pace, we should reach Trunks house in… two and a half hours," Ami said, typing in some commands on her personal computer that she seemed to conjure up from no where.

"I tried to warn you, Minako. Never say I didn't warn you," Usagi said, hiding a smile. 

^^^^^^^^

There now! That wasn't much of a cliffhanger, huh? I have some announcements. Well, not really announcements, but I do have to explain some stuff. Alrighty… Yes, bacon and eggs. I'm sorry! I have no clue what Usagi usually eats for breakfast, or any anime characters, for that matter. I always forget… And yes, Usagi visited Trunks' house. Trunks room. Trunks boxers… ::Slaps self as I start to drool, visions of an OLDER Trunks..... and Gohan...... and Hotohori..... and Kenshin..... and Demando..... (NOT ALL OLDER! JUST TRUNKS! 18! YEA!!!) visiting my room… Mwahahahahahaha!!!!:: But they didn't do ANYTHING!! Jeez, the Usagi is only nine, and Trunks is eleven! Not YET!!! NO! But I'm not saying anything about later… Oh, and Ami is not out of character. I swear! Well, maybe a little bit, but was it ever down in writing how Ami wakes in the morning? (Please correct me if I'm wrong.) Well, I think that's it for now…

Spirit of cosmos

P.S. Oh yea, almost forgot!! Can anyone guess who the mystery man was? You know, he was brooding about Usagi and the girls? I think you can… I didn't make it that hard… Actually, nevermind. I have to go anyway. The men in the white coats are coming for me. Damn! Well, till next time! AND REMEMBER, REVIEW! OR I WILL MAKE TRUNKS HURT YOU! (But some of you might like that, wouldn't you? Sick bastards… ~_^)

P.S.S. 'THE SICK BASTARDS' THING WAS A JOKE! Jeez…People these days…


	10. Understanding is the Hardest Part

Time for a new disclaimer… I don't own Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, or Cowboy Bebop Unknown User Normal Unknown User 3 143 2001-10-30T22:21:00Z 2001-10-30T22:25:00Z 4 1604 9143 DellComputerCorporation 76 18 11228 9.3821 

Time for a new disclaimer… I don't own Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, or Cowboy Bebop. Why do I include Cowboy Bebop in this disclaimer? True, none of the characters are in the story, but I just had to tell myself (again) that I don't own Cowboy Bebop. I keep forgetting, and thinking I own it. I know, I'm hopeless. 

Tides of Darkness

Chapter 9 – Understanding is the Hardest Part

            "I am never going to be able to walk again," Makoto groaned, flopping backwards onto the couch. 

            "You are never going to be able to walk? I will never to be able to move again **period**," Ami retorted, sitting down on the floor. "Oooh, cold stone. This should feel nice against my forehead," she said, leaning her forehead against a marble coffee table leg.

            "Shower. Must take shower," Rei muttered, walking over to the sink and turning on the water, sticking her head under the faucet. 

            "Wow," Usagi exclaimed, looking around the room with a grin. "I didn't think you guys would get that tired out."

            "Usagi!! It's your fault!" Minako screeched. "You didn't tell us it would be this hard! Why didn't you tell us??!!"

            "Hey, hey, don't say that. I tried to tell you in the beginning, but I got sidetracked. And then I DID finally say something," Usagi continued, shaking her head and smiling. "And you silly people wouldn't do my instant transmission technique, and… Well, you can't blame me. That's all." 

            "Not fair. Not fair," Minako whimpered.

            "Why hello girls! I didn't realize you would be coming!" Bulma rushed into the room, smiling brightly. "How did you all get here? I didn't hear a hover car-"

            An irritable Rei, who stood up from the sink and was patting her face dry, cut off Bulma. "We walked."

            "Oh, that's nice. Did you like the walk over?"

            The only response was a collective facefault, Bulma excluded, of course. 

***

            Meanwhile, Usage had slipped off, headed for Trunks room. Pushing the door open slowly, she peered inside and beheld a scene reminiscent of her nocturnal visit. The blankets on the bed were in a rumpled mess, and the only sign that something was underneath them was a lock of lavender hair peeping out. Usagi tiptoed inside, gently shutting the door behind her. _How could he have slept through our entrance? We were loud enough! _ 

            As she stood at the foot of his bed, she decided that the best punishment for his late sleep was a harsh one. Crouching down, she gathered her balance and got ready to spring up. 

            "Aieeeee!" Usagi charged, jumping up into the air, and smashing back down onto… an empty bed?

            A thump sounded from the side of the bed, and when Usagi crawled over to investigate, she saw that Trunks had rolled off the bed, taking the blankets with him. And get this – the kid was still asleep!

            "Trunks, your incorrigible. Now did I use that word right? I'm not sure…  O well, I have more important manners to attend to. Such as," and here she paused for a dramatic pause, all the while inching closer to Trunks ear, "BREAKFAST!"

            "Huh? What?" A sleepy Trunks sat straight up, looking around confusedly. "Breakfast? What? Huh? Where?"

            Usagi sat back and smiled. "I thought that would get you up. Now, remember what I told you about the girls?"

            "About their powers?"

            "Yea. Well, I was walking here with them - "

            "You **walked** here with them? They must hate you now," Trunks joked. 

            "ANYWAY," Usagi continued, pretending to ignore what he said, " I was walking here with them and I said something about it, and they owned up. Well, they didn't exactly. I sorta tricked them into giving it away, but all the same, they know I know. And they know that I told you!"

            "They do? They aren't gonna kill me  now, are they? You know, for knowing their secret and all."

            "Of course not! I told them that you were perfectly trustworthy and that you wouldn't tell a soul," Usagi said. "And you won't, **right**?"

            "Cross my heart. So does this mean that I get to spend some time with them? That one with the black hair was pretty cute…"

            "TRUUUUNKS!" 

****

            Back in the living room, each girl had cooled down somewhat, and were now being served milk and cookies by Bulma's mother.

            "Oh my, you all must be so tired after your long walk," she cooed, pouring more milk into Makoto's glass, who happily drank it. "Does anyone want more milk? Cookies?"

            "Me, me!" Usagi chirped, standing in front of Bulma's mother, a big grin plastered on her face. 

            "Me too?" Trunks asked, using his puppy eyes for all they were worth. 

            "Alright you two, here is the plate," she said, handing them both the plate which was heaped high with cookies. Or rather, WAS heaped high with cookies. Trunks and Usagi finished them off quickly, to say the least. 

            "Oh my… it looks like I will have to go bake some more cookies, doesn't it? Now you kids can pour the milk yourselves, right?"

            "Sure!" Usagi and Trunks said in unison. 

            "Ok… I'm off to bake now…" She said, turning on her heel and walking into the kitchen. 

            "Thanks grandma!" Trunks called out, busy pouring some milk into a glass.

            "Yea thanks!" Usagi added, holding out her glass to be filled. Turning to the coterie of girls on the sofa, she grinned and waved, silently wondering why they were all looking at her with odd expressions on their faces. 

            "What's wrong, girls?"

            Once again, the only response was a sprawling facefault. 

***

            "So you know now, huh Trunks?"

            "Yea, I guess so…"

            "And you won't ever tell?" Rei continued sweetly, smiling at him. 

            "Nope! Course not!"

            "Good!" Rei chirped, before her features turned dark and menacing. "Because, Trunks **dear**, if you do ever tell, do you know what will happen to you?"

            Trunks opened his mouth to respond, but the question seemed hypothetical, as Rei continued right on. "Do you know what will happen to you? NO, you don't. You don't want to know." 

            Rei paused, heightening the dramatic effect. Looking around the group of older girls, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "You all do know what I'm talking about? The… Punishment, the one with a capital 'P'?"

            Immediately catching on, the girls grinned before pasting on expressions equally threatening and dark. 

"Yes, the 'Punishment.' I know exactly what you are talking about," Makoto said, grinding her hand in her fist to reinforce the statement. The other girls didn't need to say anything – all they did was start grinning sadistically, aiming everything at Trunks. 

            The final result was Trunks getting down on his hands and knees and swearing allegiance to each girl, promising over and over again he would never breathe a word to anyone. 

            "Got him wrapped around our collective finger," Ami whispered to Minako, who simply grinned in reply. 

***

            "Soooo Usagi, how was school today?" Rei teased, seeing a sulking Usagi walk into the front door. 

            "Don't even say the word. All I have to say of school is this – EVIL."

            "Poor girl, what happened?" Rei asked, barely hiding a grin at Usagi's obvious misfortune. "Get detention from Ms. Haruna _again_?"

            "Ms. Haruna? Who is that?" Usagi asked, becoming confused. "Is there a new teacher?"

            Rei blushed bright red as she realized her slip of the tongue, and began fumbling over an explanation. 

            "What Rei means, Usa," Ami stepped in, "Is to ask if you got detention from your teacher. She wanted to know the cause of your late arrival home."

            "Oh, I get it. Yea…" Usagi paused, putting a hand on her head and laughing nervously. "I kinda got detention…"

            "For what, Usagi? What did you do now?" A new voice cut into the conversation.

            "Mom! Ha! Ha… didn't see ya there… errr… well, got homework to do, gotta-"

            "Not so fast, missy. What is all this about detention? You better have a good reason this time!"

            Rei leaned towards Ami and said behind her hand, "See? I knew she had gotten detention before."

            "Err… IwassortadaydreamingboutthingsandIdidn'tknowtheteachercalledme…" Usagi mumbled quickly before running off to her room, only to encounter a grinning Minako and Makoto. 

            "What was it you were daydreaming about, Usagi?" Minako asked, a sly grin on her face. 

            "Nothing! My mind drifted, that's all!"

            "Drifted to where? Or should I say who, eh Usa?" Makoto elbowed Usagi, her eyes twinkling. 

            "Nothing! No one!"

            "It was about Trunks-chaaaaaaaan, wasn't it!!" Minako pestered, uttering a triumphant screech as Usagi blushed and buried her head in a pillow. "I knew it!! Usagi likes Trunks! Usagi likes Trunks!! How kwaii!!!" 

            Usagi just groaned, and continued to blush.

***

            "Usagi?" Rei asked sleepily, later that night.

            "Mmmm?" Usagi responded, stretched out on the bed.

            "Do you believe in the afterlife?"

            "Sure, I guess so."

            "So… if you have an afterlife, do you think you had a life before this one?"

            "What are you saying, Rei? That I'm an angel now and living in heaven? I think not," Usagi laughed, her eyes growing heavy with sleep. "Silly."

            "No… I mean, do you think that we had past lives? Do you think you had a life before this one?"

            "Mmmm… maybe."

            "If we had past live, do you think we would have known each other? Do you think that you would have known Trunks? Or Chi-Chi?"

            "Maybe."

            "Do you think you loved someone else?"

            "What, you mean besides Trunls?" Usagi grinned, invisible in the dark. "You know something Rei… I don't think I did. There is always a possiblitiy… but I feel such a connection here, with everyone. Sort of like I have known them before. Me and Trunks… and Gohan… and my mom…"

            "What about us? What about the other girls?" Rei asked quickly. 

            Perhaps too quickly. "No. I don't. Not really. No offense, Rei…" Usagi trailed off, wondering why Rei had asked so quickly, with such an odd tone of hope in her voice. 

            "Oh… well, you couldn't really be expected to… we did sorta come from no where, huh?" Rei smiled weakly, but her heart wasn't in it. Good thing that Usagi couldn't see. 

            "Can I go to sleep now, Rei?" Usagi asked, laughing gently to lessen the harshness of her words. 

            "Sure… sure… Wait, one more question, Usagi."

            "Yea?"

            "Do you think… do you think, if you had the chance, that you would go back in time, back to a past life, just for a moment, to see, to experience it?"

            "I – I don't think I would. I don't think I could. Though I might complain about it, I like what I am doing, I like where my life is leading. I don't think I would give it up." Glancing around at the rest of the girls, all sound asleep, Usagi sighed and spoke again. "Can I go to sleep **now**, Rei? Please?"

            "Yea, sure. I – I just gotta use the bathroom," Rei said haltingly. "Be right back." And with that, Rei got up, making sure her face was turned from Usagi, hoping that the blond girl wouldn't see the tears streaming down her face. Running to the bathroom, and locking the door, she buried her face in the towel and began to cry. 

Well all, what do you think? Not a very good ending, but atleast I am getting updates out, ne? Sorry about the long wait…. =) But more is (hopefully) forthcoming!!

Spirit of cosmos

p.s. remember, review! Click the link at the bottom! It come up in a separate window, you can even back out and search for more storie while the window loads! Please!!!


	11. Walks and Talks

Tides of Darkness

Walks and Talks

The next morning, Rei woke early and crawled over to where Minako was sleeping.  Nudging her shoulder, she leaned in close and whispered her friend's name. One sleepy eye opened and shot Rei a death glare for waking her from her very important beauty sleep. 

"Rei, you evil baka, do you know what time it is?" 

"Yea, 5:23.  Yea, in the morning.  Get up, we have to talk.  It's important." Minako sat up and groaned. "Oh, and be quiet!" 

"Get up?  Where are we talking and what are we talking about?" 

"Shhh!!!" Rei gave Minako a fierce glare and beckoned for her friend to come over to the door. "We have to talk somewhere no one can hear us. So I decided we are going on a early morning walk."

"Before breakfast?"

"You can wait." 

The girls padded silently into the kitchen, and Rei grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a message about the sunrise and being back before breakfast. Once they were outside, Rei pointed towards the infamous path that they had walked only a few days earlier and headed in that direction. 

"Why me?" Minako groaned, and began to slowly follow Rei. "If I have to do this, I'm gonna take my time."

They had been walking down the path for quite some time, and Rei had explained what happened the night before with Usagi, carefully leaving out the part where she had cried.  Minako was now in the lead, something which usually irritated Rei, but which now she was glad for. She didn't need her friend to see how deeply her conversation with Usagi had hurt her, nor the expressions that would flash across her face. 

"So what should we do?" Minako asked, pushing a branch out of her way.  Rei ducked as it swung back into place.

"How should I know?  She won't come back with us." Rei kicked at a stone lying on the path, completely missing it. 

"Are you sure?  Maybe I should try… maybe – maybe I could tell her the –"

"NO!  Don't even bother.  Your not gonna get any further than I did. Remember that we don't want to tell Usagi about her past life?  Remember what Setsuna said?  And what are we left with? There is no way to convince her to return."  Minako opened her mouth to protest, but got cut off as the priestess continued.  "And to even **think** about telling her the truth…. Madness!  What would you tell her to make it seem better than it was?"

"Well, I could tell her that she was a princess… and that she had awesome powers… and a gorgeous boyfriend? How does that sound?"

"What, would you casually _forget _to tell her the part about her kingdom being destroyed, about how she used **hate** those powers, about how her boyfriend put her through hell and back? Would you tell her about a wonderful destiny that any girl would die for… But you know, she did die for it! To hell with destiny!"  Rei blinked away the tears that were forming in the corners of her eyes, and shakily whispered, "All is lost. And I don't see a way to get anything back."

"Rei…"

"Do you see a way?" Rei was on the verge of either crying or flying into a rage. "You're supposed to be the leader of the senshi. You're supposed to deal with this type of stuff!  So whats your solution?! Do you see any other way?  Cause if you do I would really love to hear it!" She couldn't keep the tears from coming now, and as they rolled freely down her face she practically collapsed onto the wet grass. "I hate crying!  I hate my reasons for crying! I hate myself for feeling like I need to bring Usagi back to a world that she rejected, for holding her back from a life that she wants.  That she chose.  Minako… I used to be her best friend. Now, she – she – we won't ever be that close again!" Rei buried her face in her hands and began to sob.

Minako sat down next to Rei and latched both arms firmly around her friend. "Shhh… it's ok… I don't know what we are going to do, but we will figure something out, I promise." 

***Back at the Gates of Time***

Pluto sighed and shook her head. "Maybe it was a mistake to send them on this journey. It's causing so much heartbreak for them…"

"No, it wasn't a mistake."

Pluto whirled and quickly got into an attack stance. "Reveal yourself!" A figure emerged from the mists. "Mamoru! How did you get here without me noticing?  And why are you here at all?" 

"So much for the warm welcome."

"You don't deserve to be welcomed here. You don't deserve to be welcomed anywhere," Pluto spat, giving the former prince a look that would have sent any normal mortal running. Mamoru merely winced.

"Please, don't be so harsh on me."

"Why the hell not? I should kill you right here, right now. You are the reason for this whole mess!  What possessed you to do that to Usagi? Everything was going perfectly up until the time that you decided to be an asshole and go cheat on a beautiful girl who was, literally, offering you the world." 

"Listen - "

"No, Mamoru, I really don't have time to listen to your excuses. I'm sure they are perfectly pathetic and sappy and I'm sure you rehearsed them for hours in front of the mirror."

"Setsuna, I really can explain." Mamoru held his ground as the guardian of time walked right up to him, practically daring him to back down.  And even though she was shorter, she seemed, at that moment, to be nine feet tall and exceedingly threatening.  

"I could send you to a realm where you would be tortured beyond belief. No one would ever hear from you again, and there would be no escape." Pluto gave her former king the most disgusted look she could muster up. "I doubt anyone would even care or notice that you are missing."

"Let me explain."

"Fine. Go ahead."

"Your right. I didn't know what I was doing. I guess I don't deserve Usagi –"

"You guess," Pluto snorted in derision.

"Let me finish. I don't deserve Usagi, and I'm quite sure you have sent her off somewhere where she can't be hurt by me, right?  Right.  And yes, I did contribute to that, and I'm damn glad I did."

"How dare you!"

"How dare I indeed. I dared to do what no one else would. I set Usagi free."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well…. That's that for this chapter. Yes, it's short, but I promised some people I would finish this. =)

Spirit of Cosmos


	12. Explanations, Accusations, Reciprocation...

Tides Of Darkness

Explanations, Accusations, Reciprocations

"You set her free?  My dear prince, you had better explain before I rip your head off for such… such... _words_," Pluto spat out, hardly believing that Mamoru had dared to try and distort the facts in his favor.      

"I saw where everything was going.  I knew that sooner or later she would become dissatisfied…  unhappy…  if she was not already.   I had begun questioning my so called 'destiny' as soon as I knew of it. And I suspected that she had started to as well."

"So you decided to end everything on mere suspicions?!"

"Don't be so quick to judge. I thought you were the one with a time key. Aren't you supposed to know everything?  Obviously not.  So hear me out, and you will understand, even if you don't like what you'll hear."

Pluto leaned on her time staff, and glowered at the man before her. "Go on," she growled, frustrated that she could do nothing more than listen.

 "Thank you. Now, as for ending everything on suspicions – of course not.  I wouldn't be that rash.  I had thought about it, turned over the possibilities, tried to think of an alternate course, anything else." He was clenching his fists, eyes turning dark.  "Nothing came to me.  And so, I was reduced to the cruel method with which she found me out."

"Oh, I get it," Pluto said sarcastically. "Your supreme logic helped you along this course. Only a genius could have thought up the kind of scheme you concocted.  You decided to cheat on her.  That wasn't just crude, that was one of the stupidest actions I have ever seen you take."

"I am becoming more annoyed by the moment, Guardian of the Gates. Just shut up and listen for the moment." Mamoru's eyes flashed blue fire, and his whole body was tense with fury. "I didn't cheat on her." He  paused a moment to let his words sink in, to hopefully make an impact on the stoic warrior before him. Pluto nodded, not saying a word. The air between them was charged with static electricity, as if their auras were trying to put up a barrier.

"It was easy enough to plant the seeds of doubt in her mind. I've had enough practice acting distant in my life. If you know how, you can block out the world and everyone in it. But simply shutting her out wasn't working. She wasn't letting go. So I went to extreme measures, and  let a few 'things' slip around her friends. Her ever alert, ever loyal friends." And all at once his stance relaxed, and when he spoke again his words were laced with tones of grief and regret.  "Once they began to think that I might be cheating on her, I went even further, concocting half assed excuses when I started missing meetings, starting missing fights, started avoiding Usagi. And when her friends thought they knew for sure, they broke the news. But I **never** cheated on her. Not once." Mamoru's eyes were deadened, and he continued on in a lowered tone as he hid his clenched fists behind his back.  

"Of course I still love her.  And I always will.  But love – it's not enough to keep someone happy with a life in which everything was already planned for you.  But I've gone over that, and I think you have too.  No, I didn't want to cast her off like that, but how could I be so selfish as to try and keep her by my side?  I was her first in everything. **Everything.** And if she stayed with me her whole life… Let me put it this way. When I first met her she was the most naïve person I knew, and the sweetest. I fell in love. Who could resist her? Yes, we had a relationship. She ended up having sex with me.  We were so close and there wasn't time for anything or anyone new or different.  I was the first, and would have been the last.  Isn't it a good thing to have more than just one relationship in your life?"

"But you were meant for each other. You were each others soul mates!"

"Maybe in this timeline, in this universe.  And I suspect Usagi is no longer in this universe.  I'm sure in her new life, in that different dimension, she will have to dig a little before she finds her soul mate."

"You have no idea, do you? You have no idea how much you have just changed the future of this universe." 

"No, I don't. And I want it to stay that way."

*****Back to the Future – oops… no… Back to the DBZ Dimension*****

            A week had passed, and it was nearing the end of the girls stay in the ever cheerful, (although sometimes violent) Son household. Everyone was gathered at the dinner table, enjoying the mounds of very tasty food placed before them. Since it was the last night the girls were staying, the dinner was actually a very casual going away party.  Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, and even Piccolo was smiling.  As the dinner dishes were put away and the desserts came out, the sake began to flow in quite copious amounts.  Hugs were given more and more freely, and the spirit of – er – goodwill, ran rampant. 

            Chi-Chi knocked her chair to the ground as she stood up suddenly, a huge silly grin on her face. "Here's a toast to you, girls! You've become such good friends with my Usa, and we all wish you weren't leaving so soon! Good luck back home, and visit us again soon!" She raised her glass to the ceiling in a toast, and, throwing it back in one gulp, promptly fell over. Laughter ensued as she sprung back to her feet, a blush spreading across her cheekbones as she waved off the fall. 

            "She gets like that sometimes," Gohan said, turning towards the girls. "When exactly are you all leaving?" He asked directing his questions toward all the girls, not realizing that everyone else saw that he was mainly directing the question toward Rei.

            She blushed slightly and smiled at Gohan, saying, "Tomorrow morning, unfortunately."

            "Aww man! I hoped you guys were gonna be staying at least a little bit longer!" Usagi spoke up, frowning at her realization. "You guys are really leaving!" She pouted as her friends nodded. 

            "I'm sorry Usa, but we have to." Rei stepped forward to give the blond girl a hug.  "We promised that we would only be staying for a little bit, and if we go back on that promise, well – we just can't, I don't think that would go over too well with Setsuna."

            Usagi heaved a sigh, then suddenly brightened. "Wait! Who did you promise? Maybe I can talk to whoever you promised and convince them to let you stay longer!"

            "Errr…" Rei sweatdropped and looked to the other girls for help.

            "The thing is, Usa," Ami spoke up, "its our mom." As the other girls collectively fell over, Ami continued on smoothly, keeping eye contact with Usagi. "And we don't have any way to contact her, so we need to meet her where we said we would be. And since it's a long way back home, she wouldn't appreciate coming and going all this way for nothing.

            "Why don't you call her or somehow get in touch with her, so you can let her know your staying longer?" Usagi asked. Ami nodded slowly, getting some time to think up a proper sounding answer. 

            "We can't talk to her. We don't have any way to communicate."

            "Awww… well, lets not worry now. I'm sure I will see her tomorrow! Then I know I can win her over, and you guys can stay! Just you wait!" Usagi's bright smile ended all arguments for the moment, and the conversation turned to everyday silly issues. 

            They sat in a small white room, devoid of any windows, with a steel panel that looked like it might be a door. The room was bare and austere, the only furniture being a long rectangular glass topped table, with the proper amount of chairs for the 15 people currently sitting in them. There was approximately 2 feet between the chairs the wall on either side. The only spacious thing about the room was the ceiling, which was 15 feet tall. There was no accounting for modern construction. The people seated around the table were quietly talking among themselves. The tension in the room was heavy and oppressive.

            At the far end of the table, a tall man clad in a black suit with wavy neck length brown hair stood up and politely cleared his throat. "I apologize about the abrupt call to assemble the Counsel. I'm sure I've taken some of you away from important business, but let's not waste anymore time on trivialities." He pushed his chair back in and walked to one wall. As he pointed, a screen immediately flickered to life, showing a high-resolution map of the Black Forest. 

            "As you know, here at the Bureau of Information, we keep up on the current times. This means keeping track of what powers pass through our areas, which powers are currently residing in our area, and what kind of threat they pose to our land. What are the new threats, you may ask?" Pausing for dramatic effect, his emerald eyes flashed with an unknown emotion. It may have been concern, apprehension, anxiety  – or it may have been something darker.

"Our sensors picked up 4 very distinct unidentifiable powers about a week ago. The reason we didn't immediately alert our members and employees about the new powers was that the computer didn't recognize them right away. The power we picked up couldn't be classified in our database. We thought perhaps there was a bug in the program - I had the readings checked for errors, had the best technicians dig deep into the programming, and looked over the report myself. There was no program error, flaw, bug, what have you. What we do know about these powers is that they are massive. The energy is not of our universe. We could not ascertain as to what 'side' they would position themselves on." He stopped for a moment, enjoying the fact that his audience was hanging on his every word. 

Kiyu Magaski had always insisted he wasn't the director of the Bureau for the power – he just wanted to keep the citizens safe. But as the saying goes, absolute power corrupts absolutely. And Magaski had complete control of the most powerful government agency there was. 

"I have decided – yes, Yumi-san?" He nodded to the warrior in the corner who had stood with a question. 

"Are these powers threatening us? Have they gone after the citizens, or perhaps destroyed a building or two? Are they dangerous?" Pemna Yumi was one of the most valuable members of the Intelligence Counsel, a group of 15 or so members that made decisions on any major actions taken by the Bureau. A young man, his white hair and wrinkled features made him look much older than his 33 years. Still a virulent and hale fighter, his looks were considered an advantage, as very often his opponents would go easy on an old man. It was only when he had killed or beaten them down did they realize their mistake. 

"As of now, no, they havn't. BUT there is a possibility that they could. Which is why we need to continue to keep an eye or fifteen on them." Magaski appreciated his strength, but resented Yumi's intelligence. His words of caution had often killed attempts at hikes in taxes, new laws that would constrict the people, and other generally bad moves. 

"Does the Bureau know the whereabouts of the mysterious powers currently?" Yumi asked, keeping eye contact with Magaski. 

Magaski smiled as he said "Oh yes. We have been keeping track of them, although after the first surge in power they did a damn good job cloaking themselves. However, never underestimate the power we wield. We have pinpointed the location of the powers."

"So your saying that you know what wields the power? Is it people? Or something else?"

"That's the problem. We can't pinpoint the powers to specific people, only the area in which they are situated. As it stands now, we haven't sent out any scouts or any other sort of spies other than our computer keeping watch. Which brings me to this. I need some talented people to go scout out the area and pinpoint the individuals that hold these powers."

"I nominate myself," Yumi said, standing up again. 

"I second," Magaski nodded towards the fighter. His slim stature would serve well for the type of work he would be doing. 

"And I nominate myself." Her name was Terya Quetzoatcl, and her bright black eyes dared anyone to speak against her motion. 

"I second," Yumi smiled towards Terya, who relaxed and smiled back. Her glossy purple hair was shot through with white streaks, and she flipped it back over her shoulder as she sat down. 

The rest of the counsel approved the pair, and waited for Magaski to continue. Magaski began to fill the two in on their mission. Inwardly, he wondered if the right people had been chosen. He had wanted people that he knew were loyal to him and would follow his commands without question or conscience. Well, time would tell. 

***

That's it for this chapter. I'm gonna try and finish this quickly, but the plot isn't agreeing with me! Lets hope I update soon. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter, it's been a long time coming. Any critiscms or compliments can be directed towards my email or the review box. Please! I need to know if anyone is still reading my stuff!


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